While the Philadelphia Eagles have not put together the most convincing 6-2 start in the world, they are 6-2 nonetheless. Without big-money free agent signing Saquon Barkley, it's hard to imagine a start anywhere close to as good as this one.
Barkley is having his best season in years after spurning the New York Giants for their hated rival. With the Eagles having dealt with some major wide receiver injury problems and some poor play from Jalen Hurts in the first few games of the season, Barkley has been the constant excellent performer in Kellen Moore's offense.
Barkley's 115.6 rushing yards per game would be third in NFL history among players making their debut for a new team. He is just one yard before Ravens running back Derrick Henry (his top competitor among running backs for the Offensive Player of the Year Award) and decimal points behind Ricky Williams during his first season with the Dolphins.
Saquon Barkley's rushing yards should get OPOY talk started
The Eagles have committed themselves to the run in the last few weeks, which has made Hurts more efficient along with Barkley. With the high-priced free agent averaging an insane 5.9 yards per carry, there's an argument to be made that Saquon somehow needs to get the ball more.
The biggest change in Barkley's performance has been moving to a much better Eagles offensive line. After frequently getting dropped in the backfield with the Giants, Philadelphia has given an elite physical talent like Barkley all the running lanes he needs to lay waste to the NFC.
Assuming the NFL follows the normal pattern of giving the MVP to a quarterback and OPOY to a skill position player, Barkley and Henry are the top two contenders. While Henry currently has the edge in rushing yards and yards from scrimmage, Barkley, who is a much better pass-catcher, has already had his bye week.
While the Eagles need mistake-free football from Hurts to contend for a championship once again, the key to this offense is Barkley. If he keeps this up, it'll be hard for voters to leave him off the All-Pro team and eschew his OPOY candidacy.
