Ralph Vacchiano
NFL Reporter
Saquon Barkley has always insisted that he didn’t sign with the Philadelphia Eagles just because of the money. It was about the chance to finally play on a good team, behind a powerful offensive line. And it was about getting a chance to remind the world how good he really is.
That is exactly what Barkley did on Friday night during his stellar Eagles debut. He scored three touchdowns — two rushing and one receiving. He ran for 109 yards on 24 carries and caught two passes for 23 yards. He showed off his speed, his open-field moves, and his incredible strength and power.
He was the main cog in the Eagles offense during their thrilling, 34-29 win over the Green Bay Packers in Sao Paolo, Brazil. He showed he can still be a dominant player. He helped the Eagles show they’re still one of the NFL’s best teams.
And the best part about it is that it was only the beginning. As Barkley said, after his three-touchdown performance, “A hat trick is never a bad thing. But there’s so much more that I can do.”
“I want to be special,” Barkley added. “I want to be special in this offense. I want to be special for this team. I want to give Philly something they can be proud of. I think they’ll be happy with the start.”
Everyone should be thrilled with Barkley’s start, because he really did do a little of everything for the Eagles, and showed them so much of what they were missing during their 1-6 collapse late last season. He showed off his receiving skills by running a perfect route and making a leaping catch in traffic for an 18-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Then in the second quarter he flashed his quickness and shiftiness, making a quick cut to the right on an 11-yard touchdown run.
Then in the third quarter, he brought out the power, starting with a 9-yard run in which he bullied his way to the Packers’ 2, setting up an equally powerful 2-yard touchdown run.
That’s all why the Eagles gave him…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/saquon-barkley-stellar-eagles-debut
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Publish date : 2024-09-07 14:10:41
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