Getty Image / Mitchell Leff
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley has had a season to remember. The former New York Giants has been chasing down the NFL single-season rushing record all season long, and had another big game on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys.
Sunday brought something new for Saquon Barkley: a division title. And, after the game, he tooked a veiled shot at his former team.
Barkley entered Sunday’s game needing 268 yards in the final two games of the season to break Eric Dickerson’s record of 2,105 rushing yards in one season. And, the Eagles just needed a win to clinch the NFC North.
Things went to plan on both of those fronts. Barkley was sensational once again, he churned out 167 yards on 31 carries with a long of only 23. That means that he was consistently picking up chunks of positive yardage. Once again, he was dominant in the second half, with well over 100 yards after halftime. And, the Eagles won 41-7 in Jalen Hurts’ absence.
Now Barkley needs just 101 yards to break Dickerson’s record next week against the Giants, though it’s unclear if he will suit up for the game. The Eagles (13-3) will likely have very little to play for next week and are pretty much locked into the number-two seed in the NFC.
After the game, Barkley was asked about clinching the NFC East, and noted how it’s the first game in the NFL that he’s ever received the customary hat and t-shirt that comes with clinching a divisional title.
Barkley on the #Eagles clinching today: “My first hat-and-T-shirt game. I didn’t even know that was a thing.” https://t.co/ummvClCEOK
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) December 29, 2024
While the Giants did back into a playoff spot at 9-7-1 in the 2022 season, the Giants were never even close to a divisional title. You’d have to go back to his time at Penn State from 2015-2017 for Saquon to have a game that ended him with getting a celebratory t-shirt and hat.
It’s great to see one of the NFL’s finest players finally play for a competent team and show that he is an all-time great running back.