Saquon Barkley broke Commanders on first carry of NFC Championship Game

01/26/2025 03:30 PM

Saquon Barkley's house call on first carry of NFC Championship stunned Commanders

Saquon Barkley helped the Philadelphia Eagles advance to the NFC Championship Game in his first season in the City of Brotherly Love, and for the first time in his career.

It did not take him long to reach the end zone in said contest.

After the Washington Commanders put a field goal on the board on the opening drive of the NFC title game, the Eagles took over possession for their first drive of the contest.

That first snap was a running play with Barkley, and 60 yards later the MVP candidate was in the end zone, and the Eagles had a 7-3 lead:

Barkley takes a quick toss from quarterback Jalen Hurts — starting a week after injuring his left knee in the NFC Divisional Round — and scampers around left end and into the Washington secondary for the lightning-fast touchdown.

As you can see from this replay angle, motion from wide receiver DeVonta Smith pulls a defender away from that side of the formation. Wide receiver A.J. Brown then blocks down on the edge defender, allowing Dallas Goedert and left tackle Jordan Mailata to pull in front of Barkley, setting up a two-man convoy:

Not a bad start for Barkley in his first NFC title game.