After tripping on his first-ever touch as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, falling victim to the slippery Brazilian turf on the way to a 2nd-and-15 that ended in disaster, Saquon Barkley returned to vintage form in his first game in Midnight Green, picking up three touchdowns in the first three quarters of the game in a real āWelcome to Philadelphiaā outing.
Fans sat in awe of his between-the-tackles rushing abilities, dazzled at his abilities as a receiver, turning in the best receiving game by an Eagles RB since either prime Darren Sproles or Corey Clement in the Super Bowl, and took his massive fantasy performance to the proverbial bank, as he will undoubtedly finish out the week with one of the highest points performances of anyone in the NFL.
One such fan who was very excited to see him put in work? Well, that would be fellow Nike athlete LeBron James, who took to social media to celebrate what he was witnessing from the Penn State-educated rusher.
Through the first three-quarters of the game, Barkley was on an absolute roll, running the ball 16 times for 94 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, plus two more receptions for 23 yards and a touchdown through the air. If the Eagles pull out the win and become the first team in NFL history to win a game in Brazil, it's safe to say Barkley will be the man most responsible for it of any player on either side of the ball, much to the admiration of āThe Kingā in his LA County compound.
Saquon Barkley is already above his career averages versus the Packers
Over Barkley's first six seasons in the NFL, with all 76 games coming as a member of the New York Giants, Barkley has been one of the most effective rushers in the NFL, averaging 70.4 yards per game for Pat Schumer, Joe Judge, and Brian Daboll.
In his first game with the Eagles, Barkley already surpassed that number, recording his 18th career game with at least 95 rushing yards, his sixth game with at least two rushing touchdowns, and his 11th game with at least one receiving touchdown.
Has Barkley returned to vintage form? Or does playing for an Eagles offense that is better across the board than team he played for as a member of the Giants simply contribute to his on-field success, as high tides raise all boats? Well, considering the Packers' run defense is known to be pretty below average, it's hard to really say just yet, but it was certainly nice to see him look so good in his Eagles debut, as it should have fans clamoring to see what he looks like against ābetterā competition like the Atlanta Falcons next week in the real home opener.
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