Saquon Barkley says 78-yard touchdown run against Rams was favorite of career: 'I was crashing out'
Saquon Barkley says 78-yard touchdown run against Rams was favorite of career: 'I was crashing out'
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley has played in over 90 NFL games and countless more before that, but he said his electrifying 78-yard touchdown run against the Rams in the NFC Divisional round was the most cherished of his career.
PHILADELPHIA - Eagles running back Saquon Barkley has played in over 90 NFL games and countless more before that, but he said his electrifying 78-yard touchdown run against the Rams in the NFC Divisional round was the most cherished of his career.
Barkley electrified the crowd at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday when he bounded through the snow, slamming his hand on his helmet on his way to the endzone to give the Eagles a 28-22 lead in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
Barkley revealed he lined up on the wrong side of Jalen Hurts in the backfield before the snap that lead to his jaunt down field. NBC cameras caught Barkley and Hurts having a brief exchange moments before the play, and speculation ran wild about what the Eagles running back mouthed to Hurts.
"I was supposed to be on the other side," Barkley told lineman Jordan Mailata after the play. "I told you, the front side is always going to be open, all the time," Mailata responded.
The backstory:
Barkley met with the media on Wednesday and reflected on the touchdown run that will surely go down as one of the most exciting plays in Eagles playoff history.
"Probably my favorite touchdown so far of my football career since I was a little kid," Barkley said when asked about the play. "Just the moment, the timing of it, the conversations that I had with myself, the stuff that I've been working on kind of all just came together in that moment."
The moment wasn't lost on the fans, or his Eagles teammates, who seemed in awe of Barkley's heroics in a sideline video shared by the Eagles on Tuesday. Eagles cornerback Avonte Maddox was heard calling Barkley "the best player I've ever seen."
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Eagles in awe of Saquon Barkley's electrifying playoff performance: 'Best player I've ever seen'
Saquon Barkley electrified The Linc on Sunday, dashing through the snow for over 200 yards and two touchdowns in the Eagles playoff win over the Rams.
"I told you you were gonna break another one," Maddox told Barkley after his second-half touchdown run.
Barkley, normally humble and stoic, slammed his hand on his helmet as he bounded towards the endzone and slid in the snow after scoring. When asked about the emotion shown on the play, Barkley said didn't know why he chose to celebrate the way he did.
"I don't know why I was doing that," Barkley said with a smile. "I was crashing out, as the kids would say."
What's next:
Saquon Barkley and the Eagles are licking their chops for Sunday's NFC Championship game against the Washington Commanders.
By many measures, the Commanders have one of the worst ranked rushing defenses in football, meaning Barkley could run wild again.