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Saquon Barkley's reverse hurdle in the Eagles' win over the Jaguars is the talk of the NFL
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Saquon Barkley's reverse hurdle in the Eagles' win over the Jaguars is the talk of the NFL

General manager Howie Roseman didn't just sign a running back and invest resources in a position he doesn't often invest too much in. Saquon Barkley was different.

He was still a running back, but Roseman and the Eagles staff viewed him as a weapon, and once again the Eagles used him to win another game, this time a 28-23 one-game triumph over the Jacksonville Jaguars of week nine at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday.

Barkley continued to shine, and his reverse hurdle throw over a Jags defender prompted Devin McCourty to call the game “the highlight of the year” on NBC's Football Night in America. Nick Srianni called it “the best play I’ve ever seen.”

Chris Simms, McCourty's studio mate, took a dig at the New York Giants when he praised Barkley. New York had one winning season during Barkley's six years there.

“He’s unreal,” Simms said. “What would he have looked like if he had had blockers in the first half of his career?”

Nick Sirianni added more.

“What I think is so cool is that there will be kids all over the country and all over Philadelphia trying to bring this game to life, talking about this game and simulating this game while playing backyard football or pee -Wee football,” the Eagles coach 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.”

Saquon Barkley

November 3, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs with the ball against Jacksonville Jaguars linebackers Foyesade Oluokun (23) and Darnell Savage (6) in the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Barkley said he had a similar reverse hurdle at Penn State in a game against Iowa. However, this was a wow play that started when he escaped a tackle from Tyson Campbell, spun away from Devin Lloyd, left the Jags linebacker grasping for air, then came out of his spin and made his reverse hurdle run over Jarrian Jones.

“You have to give God the glory,” Barkley said of his highlight-reel move. “I won't lie. Not in a cocky way. I believe that God has blessed me. He blessed us all, but I feel like God gave me the ability to play this position. He gave me some instincts. Sometimes you just have to let go and let your God-given instincts take over.”

Barkley ran for 159 yards on 27 carries and a 19-yard touchdown on third-and-long, and added three more catches for 40 yards and a 20-yard touchdown as the Eagles won their fourth straight and tied for a score of 12 yards reached 6:2.

It was his fifth game in which he rushed for at least 100 yards, and three of those were for at least 145 yards.

Barkley surpassed 1,000 scrimmage yards in the third quarter this season, becoming just the third Eagle since the NFL merger in 1970 to reach that milestone in the first eight games of a season, joining LeSean McCoy (2011 and 2013) and Brian Westbrook (2007).

He also joined McCoy, who was inducted into the team's Hall of Fame at halftime as the only Eagles to have over 1,000 scrimmage yards and at least eight touchdowns in the first eight games of a season.

Barkley now has eight touchdowns – six rushing and two receiving yards – and is up to 925 rushing yards (5.89 yards per carry) and 147 receiving yards this season. With nine games left to play, Barkley could threaten his career-high 15 touchdowns (11 rushing, 4 receiving) from his rookie season in 2018.

“My body feels pretty good,” he said. “I was a little confused (Sunday). I don't want to go into too much detail about what happened. Nothing crazy. This week we just need a little attention to detail and then we can get started.

More NFL: The Eagles' defensive star decides the game against the Jaguars

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