Saquon Barkley ran for 167 yards to surpass 2,000 yards for the season, backup quarterback Kenny Pickett ran and threw for touchdowns before leaving the game with injured ribs, and the Philadelphia Eagles secured the NFC East title by defeating the Dallas Cowboys 41-7 on Sunday.
Barkley now has 2,005 yards and needs 101 more in the final regular-season game to surpass Eric Dickerson’s 2,105 yards from 1984 with the Los Angeles Rams.
The Eagles (13-3) were ahead 24-7 in the third quarter when Pickett, starting in place of the injured Jalen Hurts, was hit by defensive end Micah Parsons, ending his first start. Tanner McKee, the third-string quarterback, took over and the Eagles finished the drive with a field goal.
McKee later threw two touchdown passes, one for 20 yards to A.J. Brown and another for 25 yards to DeVonta Smith, helping the Eagles finish off their division rivals in front of a cheering crowd. This win secured the NFC East title and at least the No. 2 seed in the NFC.
Hurts was injured during last week’s loss to Washington and is still in the concussion protocol. He didn’t practice during the week, which allowed Pickett to start. Pickett, who was traded from Pittsburgh in the offseason, wore extra protection on his jersey after suffering a rib injury while playing against the Commanders.
Despite his sore ribs, Pickett was excited about his start. He grew up as an Eagles fan in central New Jersey, about 80 miles from Lincoln Financial Field, and had fond memories of going to games with his father and grandfather since he was 5. Pickett said he had a lot of family at the stadium cheering for him, along with over 60,000 other Eagles fans.
Unfortunately, Pickett’s dream day ended early. He completed 10 of 15 passes for 143 yards.
With the division title secured, Hurts will likely rest for another week before the playoffs. Pickett may also be out now, possibly leading to McKee starting. Barkley had 31 carries, and his final run of 23 yards took him over 2,000 yards.
He might also sit out next week to avoid injury as he chases Dickerson’s record. Barkley, who left the Giants to sign a three-year, $26 million guaranteed deal with the Eagles, has set the NFL record for most rushing yards in a player’s first season with a new team.
Pickett’s friends and family had to wait a bit before seeing him play after Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson returned an interception 69 yards for a touchdown on Dallas’ first drive. Cooper Rush, who threw for 147 yards and had two interceptions, then led Dallas on a 4-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Tolbert.
Pickett responded by connecting with Grant Calcaterra for 34 yards and then hitting Smith, who caught six passes for 120 yards, for a 22-yard touchdown to give the Eagles a 14-7 lead.
The Eagles’ defense helped Pickett by recovering a fumble, which led to a Jake Elliott 31-yard field goal. Gardner-Johnson’s second interception of the day set up Pickett’s rushing touchdown on a tush push, just like Hurts does.
Pickett, who completed 10 of 15 passes for 143 yards, took two hard hits on the same drive: Odighizuwa was flagged for roughing the passer, and Parsons delivered the hit that forced Pickett out of the game.
The Eagles were glad to have a reliable backup quarterback who had a 14-10 record as a starter with the Steelers. Pittsburgh legend Terry Bradshaw, commenting for Fox, said the Steelers should not have let him go.
