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The Eagles were in awe after Saquon Barkley's insane hurdling game against the Jaguars
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The Eagles were in awe after Saquon Barkley's insane hurdling game against the Jaguars

The Eagles were in awe after Saquon Barkley's insane hurdle play against the Jaguars originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Because he was pretty busy blocking during the game when it happened live, Eagles veteran right tackle Lane Johnson didn't get a good look at Saquon Barkley's ridiculous reverse hurdle throw until he arrived in the victorious locker room.

“How the hell did he see him?” Johnson said.

Good question.

Barkley totaled 199 scrimmage yards in the Eagles' 28-23 win over the Jaguars at Linc on Sunday. But the biggest theme in the winning locker room was witnessing a once-in-a-lifetime game.

“God has blessed Saquon with some special things,” Jalen Hurts said. “I really sincerely pray that he continues to use and honor these things and the fullness of his abilities because there are special things that he is capable of. So we need him to continue to be that type of player.”

Early in the second quarter, Hurts hit Barkley on the flat for one of the most miraculous 14-yard gains you'll ever see. Barkley ran through one tackle, spun around another, and then somehow ended the play by throwing another player butt-first over the hurdle.

“It’s probably the best football game I’ve ever seen or will ever see,” tight end Grant Calcaterra said.

“It was the best game I’ve ever seen,” agreed head coach Nick Sirianni.

Sirianni said he gave Barkley a game ball after Sunday's game.

“What I think is so cool is that there will be kids all over the country and all over Philadelphia — I really think about it — trying to make this game and talk about this game and simulate this game while they Playing backyard soccer or “pee wee football,” Sirianni said. “They won't be able to do it because I think he's the only one in the world who can do it.

“I'm speechless. It was incredible and the way the crowd – when I looked up, like I thought I saw what I saw. As a coach, sometimes you look at the line, at the sideline, at the defense. And so I thought I saw it, but when I looked at the big screen and the crowd reacted to it, it was incredible. I can’t emphasize enough how athletic he is.”

Fellow running back Will Shipley said his eyes were on the big screen at Linc after the game. He couldn't wait to see it again.

“I don’t think anyone has seen anything like this,” Shipley said. “Just shows again how special he is. He does it week after week. I'm never surprised by it. That's exactly what he is. If you're surprised every week, stop being surprised. He will continue to do it.”

It wasn't just the offensive players who were impressed by the game. Josh Sweat was on the sideline getting ready for the next defensive series and had to remind himself that he wasn't there to hang out and watch Barkley.

“I’m not going to lie,” Sweat said with a laugh, “for a brief second I felt like a fanboy. I had to get back to who I was, but I thought, 'Yeah, that was crazy.'”

Even without the backward hurdle, the run was still worth a highlight. But the hurdle took it too far.

“I've never seen a man do something like that in my life,” said security officer Sydney Brown. “I don’t know if you’ve ever seen the reverse spin move he did, that was impressive in itself. I don't even know how you plan this in your head. I don't even know how you feel about it. I have never seen a man jump so high at his weight and height. It was just incredible. It was probably one of the best plays I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Believe it or not, this isn't the first time in his football career that Barkley has cleared the reverse hurdle. He did it against Iowa as a sophomore at Penn State. “But it wasn’t that cool,” he said.

Barkley finished Sunday's game with 159 rushing yards on 27 attempts and 40 yards on 3 catches. He had a touchdown on the ground and another through the air. His 199 scrimmage yard performance was the third-highest in his NFL career.

In eight games, Barkley has already racked up 1,071 scrimmage yards and 8 touchdowns. He is just the third Eagle to reach 1,000 yards in eight games, joining LeSean McCoy (2011, 2013) and Brian Westbrook (2007).

But it wasn't a perfect game for Barkley on Sunday. He brought up a few pieces that he would like to have back. Barkley had a costly fumble, a drop in the red zone and made the poor decision to go down early on a key second-down run in the fourth quarter.

Praise him for admitting his mistakes and wanting to fix them.

But the rest of his teammates just wanted to talk a little more about this crazy game.

“Crazy,” DeVonta Smith said. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

So…really. How the hell did he do that?

“You have to give God the glory there,” Barkley said. “I won't lie. I feel like, not in an arrogant way, I feel like God has blessed me. He blessed all of us, but I feel like he gave me the ability to play that position and gave me some instincts. Sometimes you have to let go, let God and your instincts.”

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