Despite strong performance vs. Commanders, Saquon Barkley’s goal-line ‘misfortune’ keeps stat line from being even better

Saquon Barkley’s near-misses at the one-yard line have boosted Jalen Hurts’ stats with Tush-Push touchdowns.


Despite strong performance vs. Commanders, Saquon Barkley’s goal-line ‘misfortune’ keeps stat line from being even better

Jalen Hurts Saquon Barkley (Image via ESPN)

Saquon Barkley’s transformation since moving from the New York Giants to the Philadelphia Eagles has been exceptional. The one-two with Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts inside the red zone has been phenomenal.

Barkley leads the league with 1,137 games through 10 games, leapfrogging the Ravens Derrick Henry with 1,120 yards after he put up 146 yards against the Commanders on Thursday night.

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The Thursday Night Fixture between the Eagles and the Commanders witnessed a slow start until Barkley tore through Dan Quinn’s Washington defense to score a 39-yard touchdown. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Barkley reached a speed of 28 MPH during his carry.

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However, he could have had one more just five minutes earlier. After Hurts laid the ball off to him, Barkley carried the ball across the Commanders’ touchdown line but fell just short. In the subsequent play, Hurts scored a Tush Push touchdown.

Saquon Barkley’s remarkable goal-zone record for the Eagles

Besides making up for lost time in New York, Barkley has also filled the void that so often hurt the Eagles at the back end of 2023. Nick Sirianni’s side possessed a mediocre red zone offense in terms of running the ball.

Despite strong performance vs. Commanders, Saquon Barkley’s goal-line 'misfortune' keeps stat line from being even better
Saquon Barkley (Image via ESPN)

At the end of the campaign, they overall had a 60% completion rate inside the five-yard line, but excluding Jalen Hurts’ Tush Push, that number dropped below 50%.

Adding Saquon Barkley helped elevate the Eagles’ red zone offense. They’re currently the second-best on the ground and convert more than 60% of their chances (9th). That number significantly rose when Barkley carried the ball across the five-yard line.

ESPN’s NFL analyst Benjamin Solak shared a remarkable statistic that shed light on the Eagles’ dependence on the two-time Pro Bowler. Solak basically highlighted that Hurts’ would have less than 11 rushing touchdowns if Barkley finished off his runs in the endzone.

Saquon Barkley doesn’t mind Jalen Hurts scoring instead of him

After the game, Barkley signed the Thursday night match ball and then joined Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tony Gonzalez, Richard Sherman, and several others at the Prime Video booth.

Fitzpatrick pointed out that he remembered at least on three occasions the defenders stopped Barkley from scoring a touchdown right before crossing the goal line. Fitzpatrick asked whether it was frustrating because Hurts then lined up and scored a tush push touchdown.

I wouldn’t say it’s frustrating. I had a smile on my face because you know what was coming. If I don’t score, I gotta count. Bobby [Wagner] made a great tackle there, made a great play but I do love the play. It’s a statement play. Everyone knows what’s going on. We are gonna play football and you gotta stop it. And more often than not we get the job done.

Saquon Barkley said

Despite Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels’ best efforts, the Eagles held on to secure a 26-18 victory. Sirianni’s team now sits at the top of the NFC East with an 8-2 record. Next, they will play against the Rams in Los Angeles.