Saquon Barkley had to react quickly after a tough spin move left him slightly off balance, making him leap backward to avoid being tackled.
Barkley’s impressive jump over Jaguars cornerback Jarrian Jones left many people amazed across the NFL on Sunday, including Lakers star LeBron James, who was so impressed he wrote, “Saquon you’re INSANNE!!” on his Instagram story.
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni struggled to find the right words to describe Barkley’s incredible 14-yard reception after Philadelphia’s 28-23 win over Jacksonville.
“It was the best play I’ve ever seen,” Sirianni said. The play may have seemed simple at first. Quarterback Jalen Hurts looked to his left and threw a short third-and-6 pass to Barkley from the Jacksonville 44-yard line.
Barkley managed to fake out one defender and used a spin move that left another Jaguars player on the ground before executing a split-leg, backward leap over Jones to make the catch for a first down. “Crazy,” wide receiver DeVonta Smith said. “I ain’t never seen nothing like it.”
Smith almost matched Barkley’s move with a spectacular one-handed 25-yard touchdown catch late in the game that helped the Eagles extend their lead to 28-16.
In any other game, Smith’s catch would have been the highlight, but Barkley’s amazing leap stood out even more, especially after he played golf with former President Barack Obama, making it possibly the coolest move of the week for the running back.
This incredible play showcased why the Eagles signed him away from New York and made him the highest-paid running back in franchise history with a three-year deal worth $26 million guaranteed.
“I feel God gave me the ability to play this position. He gave me some instincts,” Barkley said. “Sometimes you just gotta let go and let your God-given instincts take over.”
Sirianni laughed as he mentioned needing to check the large video board to confirm that he really saw Barkley pull off such an amazing move.
“What I think is so cool is that there are going to be kids all over the country and all over Philadelphia — I really think about that — trying to make that play and talking about that play and simulating that play as they play backyard football or Pee Wee football,” Sirianni said.
“They aren’t going to be able to make it because I think he’s the only one in the world that can do that.”
From local games to the big stage, there’s only one running back who can make that kind of play. And he wears No. 26 for the Eagles.
Barkley — who also lost a fumble that helped Jacksonville make a comeback — had an otherwise fantastic game. He finished with 27 carries for 159 yards and a touchdown, plus three receptions for 40 yards and another TD.
