PHILADELPHIA -- Saquon Barkley is putting up numbers the NFL hasn't seen in over a decade, making his argument to become the first running back to win NFL MVP in 12 years. There isn't an MVP case for Barkley without his rushing totals after halftime of games.
As dominant has Barkley has been, his second-half stats are off the charts. In the midst of Barkley's 1,392 rushing yards this season, 920 of which have come in the second half. Barkley has 116 carries for 920 yards and seven touchdowns in the second half of games, averaging 7.9 yards per carry.
That's the most by any player in the last 30 seasons ahead of Barry Sanders (6.9) in 1997 (minimum 100 carries). He has more second-half rushing yards than No. 3 and No. 4 combined (Chuba Hubbard and Najee Harris have a combined 902 second-half rushing yards).
How has Barkley been this dominant in the second half? Look what the Eagles running back has in front of him.
"There's a lot of stuff you can game plan through throughout the week, and then, you know, you get to the game and they may show up in a different defense," Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson said. "You have to make those adjustments after each series and like halftime, you know, some plays that maybe don't run the first half, run the second half. So I think I credit it to that."
As Barkley has gone in the second half, so have the Eagles. Philadelphia leads the NFL in rushing yards per game in the second half and overtime (118.8) and are second in yards per carry (5.9). Barkley is actually the fourth-leading rusher in the NFL when counting just his 920 rushing yards.
NFL rushing yards leaders
| Player | Yards |
|---|---|
Saquon Barkley (Eagles) | 1,392 |
1,325 | |
944 | |
Saquon Barkley in second half (Eagles) | 920 |
The Eagles preach patience. They won't abandon the run just because one or two carries don't break for big gains.
"Like the run game isn't always gonna hit off the first run," said Eagles right guard Mekhi Becton. "It's one of those things where we gotta keep going and going and wait for it to just hit. I feel like we've done that every game this year.
"We've came in the locker room, made our adjustments, and we dodged what we gonna do in the second half. That's the best I can explain it. It's one of those things where we just gotta keep chugging along. It's not one of those things where we gotta be perfect off the bat."
What Barkley and the Eagles run offense has been able to accomplish in the second half of games has been historic. There isn't a secret sauce toward Barkley's success, but just the Eagles using their identity to their advantage.
"I do think there is an element of -- we pride ourselves on being a really physical run game, and those things wear on you as the game goes on when you get the opportunities we get," said Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. "And the way the games have played out, you can keep grinding it out as the second half progresses, and those big plays eventually pop."
