It wasn’t a backward hurdle or a 72-yard touchdown. It was, however, just how Saquon Barkley scripted his return to playoffs. Watching the Packers 363 days ago in the 2023 playoffs, he put out a tweet.
“A year ago, I put out a tweet when I was at my college watching playoff football that I got to find a way to get back in it,” Barkley told Erin Andrews after grounding out 119 yards and beating Green Bay, 22-10. “So, I’m just happy to be here, and shout out to my teammates. And most importantly, we move on and we get another home game, so that’s big.”
Philadelphia (15-3) will host either Tampa Bay, the L.A. Rams or Minnesota, depending on the outcome of the remaining two wild-card games. But whoever the Eagles get, they’ll have their hands full with Barkley. The regular-season rushing champion with 2,005 yards, Barkley on Sunday moved past No. 5 Jamal Anderson (2,122) on the NFL’s all-time single-season rushing list with playoffs included. He could’ve added much more on his final carry, but instead opted to slide and run out the clock.
“They kind of gave me a little bit,” he said, referring to his 17-yard carry in the final minute. “I probably should’ve took a little bit more, but at the end of the day, the most important thing in playoffs is winning and advancing.”
Advancing wasn’t something the Eagles did last year, blown out in the first round after opening 10-1. This year, though, they’ve won 13 of their last 14 with plenty of momentum. And unlike last year, they have an All-Pro running back in Barkley.
Philadelphia also has a defense that led the league during the regular season. On Sunday, the Eagles intercepted Jordan Love three times and shut out the Packers in the first half. The lone bright spot for Green Bay was a Josh Jacobs touchdown early in the fourth quarter, set up by a passionate, 31-yard run during which he broke six tackles.
The Eagles broke tackles, too, including Jalen Hurts’ 24-yard touchdown pass to Dallas Goedert. On the way to the third-quarter score, the big Philadelphia tight end landed double stiff-arms to hold off Carrington Valentine.
Hurts made his first start since leaving with a concussion early in the team’s loss three weeks ago. After Green Bay fumbled the opening kickoff to give Philadelphia the first possession, Hurts fired an 11-yard touchdown pass to Jahan Dotson less than two minutes into the game. But the Packers sacked him twice and limited him to just 131 yards on 13 of 21 passing. Even A.J. Brown — held to just one catch for 10 yards – was caught by FOX cameras reading a book on the bench during the second half.
Green Bay (11-7) finished 0-6 against the Eagles, Lions and Vikings, and 11-1 against the rest of the league. Jacobs, who powered for 1,329 rushing yards during the regular season in his first Green Bay season, finished with rushing touchdowns in nine consecutive games to set a franchise record.
For more information on the Eagles and Packers, visit the Philadelphia and Green Bay team pages at ProFootballPost.com.
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