Mike Tomlin started listing the many ways Saquon Barkley can beat you. It took a little while, considering how much Tomlin had to say about him.
“He’s got top-end speed,” Tomlin said about the Philadelphia Eagles star and the NFL’s leading rusher. “He can hit the home run … He’s good in tight spaces. He can get downhill. He can lower his pads. He’s got good lateral abilities. He can make people miss. He’s just a really complete player.”
So complete that Tomlin called him “Mr. Barkley” when talking about the challenge the first-place Steelers (10-3) will face when they play the NFC East-leading Eagles (11-2) on Sunday. “He’s been dominant,” Tomlin said. “Eye-opening at times.”
He’s also defying physics. This is why Tomlin isn’t worried about his team focusing too much on the bigger picture as Pittsburgh prepares for three games in 11 days, starting with the Eagles, followed by Kansas City on Christmas, and a trip to AFC North rival Baltimore in between.
Tomlin thinks that if you get distracted by what’s ahead, you could end up as another victim in Barkley’s growing highlight reel.
“If you don’t minimize him in some way, you’re not even going to position yourself to have a chance to be successful,” Tomlin said.
Most teams haven’t managed to slow Barkley down this season, but Pittsburgh, with the NFL’s fourth-ranked rush defense, believes it has what it takes. Players like inside linebacker Elandon Roberts, who has made a name for himself as a run stopper over the past decade, or “tooth chipper,” as Tomlin called him earlier this season, will play a key role.
Tomlin noticed Roberts years ago while scouting him out of Houston. Roberts’ willingness to put his 6-foot-1 frame into tough situations impressed Tomlin so much that when Roberts became a free agent in the spring of 2023, the Steelers quickly signed him.
Roberts has lived up to expectations, proving himself as a veteran who thrives in the physical aspects of the job. Against Dallas earlier this season, he jumped over the line to stop Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle, forcing a fumble that almost sealed the game—until Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott recovered it.
When asked what’s made him so effective over the years, Roberts simply said, “I just think when you’re good at something, you know, you hone in on it.”
He’s not the only one on a defense that has already stopped Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, Nick Chubb, and J.K. Dobbins this season.
Veteran defensive tackle Cam Heyward is playing some of his best football at 35. Second-year defensive lineman Keeanu Benton is starting to show his potential. Patrick Queen, signed in the offseason to play next to Roberts, has become Pittsburgh’s best three-down linebacker since Ryan Shazier’s career ended in December 2017.
Queen knows the Steelers need everyone on the field to do their job and work together to stop Barkley from taking over.
“Everybody’s got to do their job,” Queen said. “That’s really all it comes to. I think some teams are just unaware of how good Saquon is. You’ve got to keep your focus.”
And keep your head up. Barkley’s reverse hurdle against Jacksonville earlier this season went viral, and the makers of the “Madden NFL” video game added it in a special update.
In theory, there’s one way to stop Barkley from embarrassing you. “If you want to hit somebody, you’ve got to see what you’re hitting,” Queen said.
But sometimes with Barkley, even that isn’t enough. Playing behind one of the best offensive lines in the NFL and with dual-threat quarterback Jalen Hurts next to him, there’s a reason Barkley is, as Tomlin put it, “the most significant acquisition in the NFL in 2024.”
Barkley is on track to break the single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards set by Eric Dickerson 40 years ago. While the Eagles’ passing game is still a work in progress—Hurts threw for just 108 yards last week against Carolina—Barkley has been the driving force behind Philadelphia’s nine-game winning streak.
“For him to find a new team and get to that part in his career (and chase records), it’s something that you don’t see,” Queen said. “We’ve got to go up there and play physical football.”
Something Roberts knows all about. “I enjoy it,” he said. “I don’t know if you want a linebacker on your team that doesn’t like the physicality part.”
