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When the Kansas City Chiefs take the field for their first defensive snap of the Super Bowl, it's safe to say everyone will have an eye on one player above all others: Philadelphia Eagles running back Saqon Barkley.
On paper, it makes sense, right? Barkley is under 40 yards away from rushing for the most yards in NFL history and has already picked up 442 yards and five rushing touchdowns on only 66 attempts. He's running for an average of 6.7 yards-per-carry, .9 more than his regular season total, and has already ripped off a number of 40-plus yard runs on the way to an all-time great postseason.
Slow Bakrley down, many fans wager, and the Eagles become a whole lot more beatable, with Jalen Hurts being forced to beat the Chiefs with his own legs and arm, which hasn't been a guaranteed path to victory for Eagles foes in 2024 but is seemingly the strategy teams have gone for, even if it's often backfired in an incredible way.
Need proof? Well, look no further than the Eagles' Divisional Round opponent, the Los Angeles Rams, who had two chances to shop Barkley with their box-loaded run defensive strategy but routinely found themselves gashed for huge plays when Philly's offensive line broke open a running lane, and the PSU product made one man miss.
Barkley himself has commented on the reason why teams can't stack the box against the Birds before the NFC Championship Game, as if he can get to the second level, he's basically gone.
“I think that it's a numbers game. When you load the box and when you bring extra people into the box, its a beautiful thing because it's hard to run, and you've gotta be gap disciplined, we're in the right gaps, it's harder to run against, don't get me wrong,” Barkley told reporters. “But I feel like myself as that back, being patient and having that home run speed if they load the box and we get through it, there's really no one back there.”
Will Barkley and the Eagles tip off a few huge runs in the Super Bowl? Oh yeah, it would be truly shocking if Barkley's long in the game was under ten yards or his yards-per-carry average dropped below five. But ultimaely, Barkley's play isn't the X-Factor for Philadelphia in the game, as fans more or less know what to expect from the former top-2 pick. No, the Eagles will only go as far as their quarterback, Hurts, takes them, as his play will more or less tell the story of the game.
Saquon Barkley explaining why the Eagles are successful running against a loaded box from defenses is a good listen
Best explanation I’ve heard as to why just “loading the box” vs the Eagles doesn’t work: pic.twitter.com/zd52yDVymL
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) January 22, 2025
1. Jalen Hurts simply doesn't make mistakes
Over his three playoff games in 2025 so far, Hurts has been among the most careful quarterbacks in the NFL, fumbling the ball just once while throwing exactly zero interceptions over his 69 passing attempts.
Granted, Hurts hasn't been perfect in the pocket, as he has been sacked 11 times over the past three games alone, but when the choice becomes either ripping off a small gain as a runner or throwing the ball into danger, QB1 runs. When Hurts could take a sack or air it out to avoid a negative play, QB1 takes the sack, much to the anger of fans in Philadelphia. And when Hurts does throw contested catches, typically on go routes down the field to AJ Brown, he still attempts to put the ball where only his guy can get it, as fans saw on fourth-and-5 in the NFC Championship game.
Why is this? Is Hurts gun shy, as some of his detractors have suggested? Does he not trust his arm, which has also been trashed multiple times over the past few weeks? Or have the Eagles simply let it be known that they will not lose games via turnovers, and as a result, Hurts has learned that the worst thing he could do is turn the ball over in the attempts of glory, as it could be a potential touchdown for the other team.
How will Hurts and the Eagles' offense attack the Chiefs' defense? Frankly, it's hard to say, as he will often take what a defense gives him, be that easy runs in the RPO or relatively easy passing attempts versus zone like the NFC Championship game, but one thing is for sure: Hurts isn't going to be defeated in the turnover game, and if he keeps his interception-less streak going and avoids putting the ball on the ground multiple times, it can only contribute to good things for the Eagles in the Super Bowl.
2. A strong showing from Jalen Hurts can open up running lanes
Early on, the Chiefs will likely key in on Barkley as the player they want to stop. Sure, they've been run on effectively all postseason long, and they are set to face off against the most challenging running back in the NFL, but how long can Steve Spagnuolo keep that going if Hurts is picking KC's defense apart?
Think about it: it's no coincidence that Hurts had arguably his best game of the season in the contest where Philadelphia scored the most points in NFC Championship history. Barkley still got his, of course, rushing for 118 yards on 15 carries, but the threat of the PSU product ripping off a big one led to Hurts getting easy looks in the passing game, and Dan Quinn didn't make adjustments soon enough to keep the game competitive.
If the Chiefs decide to sell out on Barkley, Hurts will get easier looks against the 18th-ranked passing defense. But if Spags eases up on the run and plays more box, then Barkley will earn easier looks as a result, which could lead to the sort of game-changing runs the Chiefs wanted to stop in the first place.
3. Don't count out Saquon Barkley's impact on the game
While it's hard to call Barkley an X-factor because he is Philadelphia's top player, that doesn't mean he can't pull off something exceptional in the Super Bowl that changes the game forever, as he just did it in the NFC Championship game.
After watching the Commanders convert multiple fourth downs before ultimately settling for three, Barkley put a dagger through the Washington fanbase's collective heart with a 60-yard touchdown on Philadelphia's opening offensive play. The Linc went wild, Commanders fans online lost it, and the Eagles never looked back on the way to a 32-point win.
Discussing why the Eagles' rushing offense is so effective in 2024, Barkley broke it down to reporters, noting that when everyone plays together, no one can stop them.
“I feel like coaches put us in a great position, we have a great scheme around that and then most importantly, the guys up front, tight ends, even the wide receivers blocking downfield do a really good job of adjusting to that,” Barkley noted. “We never lose hope, there's been games, multiple games where we don't get stuff popping off until the third quarter, but it's just a belief that we have in each other that, at some point, it's gonna happen. So I think that goes into the reason why we've been so successful in the run game, and I look forward to that continuing.”
While they may not throw the ball as often as some fans may like, it's clear the Eagles have found a borderline unstoppable one-two punch of Hurts and Barkley, and if both play up to that standard, it will be hard for the Chiefs to stop both of them.
