It’s been a minute since a running back has been selected as the NFL’s most valuable player, but Saquon Barkley is doing his best to change that this season.
Barkley is up to 1,499 rushing yards after posting 107 in Sunday’s win over the Ravens and his 25-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter of the 24-19 win was his 13th scoring play of the season. Eagles fans who made the trip to Baltimore for the game serenaded Barkley with “MVP” chants that the running back acknowledged after the game while also making it clear that team goals are more significant for him.
“I appreciate the MVP chants. It’s great, but, at the end of the day, the most important thing is winning football games,” Barkley said. “I’ve been so locked in, so focused. And my preparation, the way that I work throughout the week, and there’s a reason why I’m getting those chants. If I continue to take care of that, once the season is over, we’ll look and see what happens. But, at the end of the day, just continue to get wins and put ourselves in a position to go deep in playoffs.”
Barkley has already set a career high for rushing yards and he’s on pace for more than 2,100 yards on the season. Getting there might not be enough to beat out Josh Allen in MVP voting, but everything Barkley’s done this season has the Eagles in position for the kind of success he’s made a priority.
