Eagles’ Saquon Barkley runs himself into MVP conversation with monster game vs. Rams
The NFL MVP race can feel like a flavor-of-the-week type of conversation. Two weeks ago, Lamar Jackson was the clear frontrunner. In the blink of an eye, Josh Allen became the favorite. This week’s flavor is a bit different.
Eagles RB Saquon Barkley made his own MVP statement in a 37-20 “Sunday Night Football” win over the Rams, putting up the most rushing yards by any player in a game in 15 years and making the case to become the first running back to win the award since 2012.
A 2,000-yard rushing season is also very much on the table for Barkley, and he doesn’t even have to continue on his current torrid pace to get there.
Here’s a look at Barkley’s stats and highlights from Sunday’s win and where his MVP odds stand after the display.
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Saquon Barkley stats vs. RamsAttempts: 26Rush yards: 255Rush TD: 2Yards/att.: 9.8Catches: 4Rec. yards: 47Rec. TD: 0Barkley ran for a career-high 255 yards in Sunday’s win over the Rams, adding two touchdowns and 47 receiving yards to give himself 302 scrimmage yards.
His 255 rushing yards is not only a single-game Eagles record, but it’s also the ninth-most in a game in NFL history. Barkley is the first player with at least 255 rushing yards in a game since Jamaal Charles ran for 259 in the Chiefs’ final game of the 2009 season.Ā
Barkley had touchdown runs of 70 and 72 yards, respectively, but he had an efficient night even without those big plays. Without the touchdown runs, the former Giants star still averaged 4.6 yards per carry.
Saquon Barkley highlights vs. RamsRunning for 255 yards is virtually impossible without some massive plays, and Barkley had two of them on Sunday with touchdowns of 70 and 72 yards.
ā NFL (@NFL) November 25, 2024WOW SAQUON WOW pic.twitter.com/DliVWBTUVn
ā NFL (@NFL) November 25, 2024Barkley can also make an impact through the air, and that was on full display early in the win over the Rams.
ā NFL (@NFL) November 25, 2024Here’s a glimpse into what makes Barkley such a complete player with both speed and strength:
ā NFL (@NFL) November 25, 2024Most rushing yards in an NFL gamePlayerYardsTeamSeasonAdrian Peterson296Vikings2007Jamal Lewis295Ravens2003Jerome Harrison286Browns2009Corey Dillon278Bengals2000Walter Payton275Bears1977O.J. Simpson273Bills1976Shaun Alexander266Seahawks2001Jamaal Charles259Chiefs2009Saquon Barkley255Eagles2024Jonathan Taylor253Colts2020Barkley’s 255 rushing yards are the ninth-highest total in a game in NFL history. He fell 41 yards shy of Adrian Peterson’s record of 296, set in 2007.
With 302 total yards, Barkley also became the seventh player since 1990 to record at least 300 scrimmage yards in a game.Ā
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Saquon Barkley MVP oddsBarkley moved to either third or fourth in NFL MVP odds after his gigantic game, depending on the sportsbook.
The Eagles star is +700 to be named MVP, according to Caesars Sportsbook’s MVP odds, which can be found below:
PlayerOddsJosh Allen+135Lamar Jackson+220Jared Goff+550Saquon Barkley+700Patrick Mahomes+1100Justin Herbert+2500Jalen Hurts+2500No running back has earned MVP honors since Adrian Peterson in 2012, with Derrick Henry finishing behind Aaron Rodgers in 2020 despite rushing for more than 2,000 yards.
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