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NittanyCentral delivers expert analysis from veteran reporters and timely updates on Penn State sports, with in-depth coverage of Nittany Lions Football, Wrestling, Basketball, and more.

NittanyCentral

NittanyCentral delivers expert analysis from veteran reporters and timely updates on Penn State sports, with in-depth coverage of Nittany Lions Football, Wrestling, Basketball, and more.

Saquon Barkley

Saquon Barkley States Case for MVP In Historic Night

Robert ShieldsPenn State Football,

Former Penn State star running back Saquon Barkley has had a massive career resurgence this year, returning to the state of Pennsylvania after six years in New York.

Sunday night, however, Barkley outdid himself again, putting up the best game of his NFL career.

Saquon rushed for 255 yards and two touchdowns and caught four passes for 47 yards in Philadelphia’s 37-20 win over the Los Angeles Rams.

In the win, Barkley became only the 12th player in NFL history to surpass 300 yards from scrimmage in a single game. Barkley’s 302 total yards even surpassed his former team the New York Giants (245 offensive yards Sunday). After already setting a career-high for rushing yards in a season, Saquon Barkley should find himself firmly in the NFL MVP conversation this year for what he has done for the Eagles.

Known for his speed and elusiveness throughout his career, Saquon broke off two 70+ yard touchdowns against the Rams Sunday. On the first play of the second half, Saquon broke off a 70-yard touchdown almost untouched to extend Philadelphia’s lead to 13 points.

One quarter later, Saquon once again found a hole for a 72-yard touchdown to give him 255 yards on the night.

 

 

After Sunday’s 255-yard performance, Saquon Barkley (1,392 rushing yards) leads the NFL this season in rushing yards, taking the lead over Baltimore’s Derrick Henry (1,185 rushing yards). Barkley’s 255 rushing yards also set an Eagles record for a single game and the ninth-highest by a player in NFL history. On the season, Barkley has five rushes over 55 yards this season (55, 59, 65, 70, and 72), the five longest rushes in the Nick Sirianni era in Philadelphia.

Saquon Barkley’s NFL MVP odds jumped after the game, bumping up to +600 to +700 depending on the sportsbook, third best in the NFL behind Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson.

Saquon has shown this season that he is instrumental to Philadelphia’s offensive success, with 12 total touchdowns on the season and 1,649 total yards on the season. Barkley’s stats make up 38 percent of Philadelphia’s total offense this season.

With six games remaining in the season, Barkley is on pace to enter one of the most exclusive clubs in NFL history, the 2,000-yard rusher club. Only eight players have rushed for 2,000 yards in a season, most recently Derrick Henry in 2020. Barkley would need 101.33 rushing yards per game to hit 2,000 on the season.

Barkley also could make a run at the all-time rushing record, needing 118.83 rushing yards per game to break Eric Dickerson’s 2,105 yard record set in 1984.

A running back has not won NFL MVP since 2012 when Adrian Peterson won the award. Since then, a quarterback has won the award every year. From the odds, Barkley faces a tall task outperforming Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson down the stretch, but if Barkley can break into the 2,000 yard rusher club and continues to score touchdowns for the Eagles, he will certainly have a case for the first running back to win the award in over a decade.

MORE: Penn State’s Game Balls, MVP From Surviving Against Minnesota

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