Running back Saquon Barkley set a franchise record for the most rushing yards in a postseason game, with 205 yards, helping the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Los Angeles Rams 28-22 in the NFC divisional round on Sunday.
Barkley now holds the third-most rushing yards in a season, including playoffs, in NFL history with 2,329 yards. He’s only behind Terrell Davis, who ran for 2,331 yards in 1997 and 2,476 yards in 1998.
On the snowy field at Lincoln Financial Field, Barkley ran for two touchdowns of more than 60 yards, reminding fans of his 255-yard, two-touchdown performance against these same Rams in Week 12. Thanks to Barkley’s big plays, the Eagles are heading to the NFC Championship Game, where they will face the Washington Commanders.
The crowd cheered wildly, chanting “MVP” and throwing snowballs after Barkley’s 78-yard touchdown run with under five minutes left, which helped secure the victory.
“The atmosphere was crazy. It was insane,” Barkley said. “I’ve got a smile on my face thinking about it. This is what you dream about. This is why I came to Philly. I wanted to be part of games like this, and I’m just happy to be a part of it.”
The win did come with some concern, though, as Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts seemed to hurt his left knee after a third-quarter sack. His leg was pinned under him as Rams safety Jaylen McCollough brought him down. Hurts said he expects to play in Sunday’s game against Washington.
“It was a tough game, a challenging game. I was able to finish the game,” Hurts said. “We’ll see how the week goes.” His mobility was clearly affected after the hit.
Eagles rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell also left the game early in the first quarter with a shoulder injury and was later ruled out.
Barkley broke a franchise record for most rushing yards in a postseason game, surpassing Steve Van Buren’s record of 196 yards set in 1949, also against the Rams.
Before the game, Barkley reached out to a couple of legendary running backs for advice. He spoke with LeSean McCoy, who rushed for over 200 yards against the Detroit Lions in the Eagles’ Snow Bowl victory in December 2013. Barkley asked McCoy for tips on running in the snow. McCoy told him to “run on your toes” and recommended speaking to the team’s equipment manager, Greg Delimitros, to make sure he had the right cleats to cut in the snow.
Barkley also reached out to former Rams star Marshall Faulk for advice on how to play against a team that was ready to stop him after his previous success against them.
“He told me, ‘Don’t predetermine plays. Trust your reads and allow your eyes and your feet to be connected. Be patient,'” Barkley said.
After the game, Faulk texted Barkley: “Patience and trust. Great job.”
Barkley’s 205 rushing yards were the fifth-most in postseason history. He is now one of only two players, along with Eric Dickerson, to have a 200-yard rushing game in both the regular season and playoffs during their careers.
Barkley said that he researched the Eagles’ record for most rushing yards in a postseason game before the contest, as he was “chasing greatness.”
“I felt like I had a good game last week [against the Green Bay Packers],” he said, “but you want to create a legacy, and I wanted to have one of those types of games. Just visualizing stuff and wondering what the number is. It’s funny how that happened.”
