Since the Philadelphia Eagles have centered their offense on Saquon Barkley, he’s made a strong push for league MVP. The Eagles have been unstoppable. Saquon has been unstoppable. His highlights are everywhere (especially the backward hurdle), his name sits atop many of the major stat categories for a running back, and he even put up 107 yards against the 2nd ranked rush defense.
Saquon’s performance against the Ravens puts his season total at 1499 yards in 12 games, putting him on pace to break the single season record of 2105 yards, set by Eric Dickerson in 1984. According to many, the MVP race is between Barkley and the Bills’ Josh Allen.
NFC Personnel Executive Compares Saquon Barkley to Previous MVP Winner
NFL Insider, Matt Lombardo, recently spoke with an NFC Personnel Executive about Saquon Barkley’s MVP chances and here’s what they had to say:
Shaun Alexander won the MVP with the Seahawks, and as a running back, he can’t carry Saquon’s keys. I think it’s a two-man race. Saquon and Josh Allen.
A pretty interesting take and this executive is not the only one high on Barkley for MVP. But how does Saquon’s resume compare to Shaun Alexander’s from 2005? Well, Alexander had 370 carries for 1880 yards, good for an average of 5.1 YPC. He also racked up 27 touchdowns. Saquon Barkley, on the other hand, currently has 246 carries for 1499 yards and a 6.1 YPC. But that’s through 12 games. As mentioned, Barkley is on pace to break the single season record. Where Barkley falls short is in the touchdown department. Jalen Hurts tends to steal the majority of the goal line scores, leaving Barkley with a measly 11 touchdowns.
In the end, that could be the difference maker in the MVP race. Allen has accounted for 27 touchdowns. Adrian Peterson was the last running back to win the award and that was 12 years ago. But if Barkley breaks a record that has stood for 40 years, it would be hard not to give him the award.
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