Eagles left impressed after Saquon Barkley’s insane hurdle against Jaguars originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Because he was pretty busy blocking during the play when it happened live, veteran Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson didn’t get a good look at Saquon Barkley’s ridiculous running back obstacle until he entered in the winning locker room.
“How the hell did he see it?” » Johnson said.
Good question.
Barkley finished with 199 yards from scrimmage in the Eagles’ too-close-for-comfort 28-23 win over the Jaguars at Linc on Sunday. But the most important topic in the winning locker room was witnessing a unique match.
“God blessed Saquon with special things,” Jalen Hurts said. “I really sincerely pray that he continues to use these things and his fullness and give him glory with that because there are special things that he is able to do. So we just need him to continue to be that type of player.
Early in the second quarter, Hurts hit Barkley in the flat for what ended up being one of the most miraculous 14-yard gains you’ll ever see. Barkley made one tackle, spun around another, then somehow finished the play by first hitting another player from behind.
“It’s probably the best football game I’ve ever seen or will ever see,” tight end Grant Calcaterra said.
“It was the best play I’ve ever seen,” admitted head coach Nick Sirianni.
Sirianni said he gave Barkley a football after Sunday’s game.
“What I think is cool is there will be kids all over the country and all over Philadelphia – I really think about it – who will try to make this game and talk about it and simulate this game while they’re playing football in the yard or Pee Wee Football,” Sirianni said. “They won’t be able to do it because I think he’s the only one in the world who can do it.
“I am speechless. It was incredible, and the way the crowd – when I looked up, it was like I thought I saw what I saw. As a coach, sometimes you look at the line, the secondary, the defense. And so, I thought I saw it, but when I looked at the big screen and the crowd reacted, it was incredible. I can’t say enough about his athleticism.
His compatriot Will Shipley said that after the match his eyes were glued to the big screen at the Linc. He couldn’t wait to see him again.
“I don’t think anyone has seen anyone do that,” Shipley said. “It shows how special he is. He does it week after week. This never surprises me. It’s just who he is. If you’re surprised every week, stop being surprised. He will continue to do so.
It wasn’t just the offensive players who were impressed with the play. Josh Sweat was on the sideline getting ready for the next defensive series and had to remind himself he wasn’t there to hang around and watch Barkley.
“I’m not going to lie,” Sweat said with a chuckle, “I felt like a fanboy for a second. I had to go back to who I was, but I was like, ‘Yeah, that’ was crazy.”
Even without the hindrance, the race was still worthwhile. But the obstacle put him over the top.
“I’ve never seen a man do that in my life,” said security guard Sydney Brown. “I don’t know if you saw the reverse spin move he did before, that was impressive in itself. I don’t even know how you plan this in your head. I don’t even know what you think about that. I’ve never seen a man jump so high, considering his weight and size. It was simply incredible. It was probably one of the best plays I have ever seen in my life.
Believe it or not, this isn’t the first time Barkley has jumped a hurdle backwards in his football career. He did it as a sophomore at Penn State against Iowa. “But it wasn’t as cool,” he said.
Barkley finished Sunday’s game with 159 rushing yards on 27 attempts and 40 yards on 3 catches. He scored one touchdown on the ground and another in the air. His production of 199 yards from scrimmage was the third highest of his NFL career.
In eight games, Barkley already has 1,071 yards from scrimmage and 8 touchdowns. He is just the third Eagle to reach 1,000 yards in eight games, joining LeSean McCoy (2011, 2013) and Brian Westbrook (2007).
But it wasn’t a perfect game for Barkley on Sunday. He mentioned a few pieces he would like to see again. Barkley had a costly fumble, a fall in the red zone and made the poor decision to go down too early on a key second down in the fourth quarter.
Thank him for recognizing his mistakes and wanting to fix them.
But the rest of his teammates just wanted to talk some more about this crazy game.
“It’s crazy,” DeVonta Smith said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
So…really. How the hell did he do that?
“I have to give credit to God there,” Barkley said. “I’m not going to lie. I feel like, not in an arrogant way, I believe God has blessed me. He blessed all of us but I feel like he gave me the ability to play that position and gave me instincts. Sometimes you have to let go, let God and let your instincts take over.
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