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By Valentina Martinez
Contributing Sports Writer
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When the Philadelphia Eagles faced the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII, the team didn't have running back Saquon Barkley.
More news: What NFL Records Could Be Broken In Super Bowl LIX
The Eagles fell short 38-35 to Patrick Mahomes and Co in 2023, but just two seasons later have returned to football's biggest stage. This time, Philadelphia has the best running back in the NFL to help the offense.
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Jalen Hurts recorded 374 total yards and four touchdowns, three of which were rushing scores. Now, Hurts has Barkley to command the rushing attack for the Eagles.
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Barkley led the NFL in rushing in 2024 totaling 2,447 yards and became the eighth player in NFL history to eclipse the 2,000-yard mark. His impact in Philadelphia has been historic, but he needs one more standout performance to get a ring.
One of the ongoing themes in the Eagles locker room this season has been: "You can't be great without the greatness of others."
"I didn't really hear that quote until I got here," Barkley said, via the team's transcript. "You know, we give all the praise to everybody. Whether it's, like, the quarterback or it's me or whether it's A.J. (Brown wide receiver). We can't do it. We play the ultimate team game. I love this game. I've been playing this game since I was 7 years old and have wanted to do it since I was a little kid and the way you win championships and the way you do special stuff is together. I'm a running back, you can hand me the ball and I don't care how great you are, if I've got five guys in the backfield, I'm not Superman. I can't make those guys miss. That's just the reality of it. ... that's how the game works. I think we've lost that in today's world with how much we all get paid and you have stats of Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning, like it's those two guys going against each other. That's not the truth. It's a team sport."
The Eagles lost the last Super Bowl matchup with Kansas City, but this game is incredibly different given Barkley's historic year. If Barkley plays well, the Eagles have their best chance to win.
Barkley is certainly poised to flourish as he is averaging 6.7 yards per carry in the postseason. Many defenses have not figured out how to slow him down, but the Eagles become more beatable if Barkley's play is not up to par.
While championship teams must be talented, another factor of a winning roster is the camaraderie between players. Though Barkley joined the Eagles this season, he believes the close relationships he has built can help the team emerge as champions.
"It's been everything. The craziest thing about how close I am to a lot of these guys is, knowing that, however many months ago I just walked into the building," Barkley said, "and being familiar with a lot of them, going against them, knowing them through competing, but being able to actually develop relationships and friendships with these guys has been everything. It's been a super-fun process for me whether it's on the golf course, whether it's in the weight room, or crazy conversations that we have in the lunch room – all those things go a long way.
"I think it's pivotal to your success as a team when you a team that's really super close and actually genuinely cares about each other and wants to see each other perform at a high level."
In Barkley, the Eagles have a strong veteran leader to rely on in this year's Super Bowl.
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