A running back hasn’t won the NFL Most Valuable Player award since Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson in 2012, but Saquon Barkley is now in line to end the drought.
Barkley, in his first season with the Philadelphia Eagles, leads the NFL in rushing yards (1,499) through 12 games. He ranks second in total touchdowns scored (13), but the leader, Baltimore’s Derrick Henry (15), has played one more game than Barkley. Either way, Barkley shouldn’t be punished for failing to lead the NFL in touchdowns.
According to Benjamin Solak of ESPN, Barkley leads the NFL with nine touches that have ended at the 1-yard line. Of the nine subsequent plays, seven were Jalen Hurts tush push touchdowns. None turned into Barkley scores.
Quarterbacks have dominated the MVP award over the past 12 years because they’re always the most important players on their teams, but that’s what makes Barkley different. Barkley is responsible for 1,766 yards of offense this season, 38.9 percent of Philadelphia’s total offensive output. That’s by far the highest mark among running backs this season, with New Orleans’ Alvin Kamara coming in a distant second (32.4 percent).
Hurts is on pace to finish with a career-low mark in passing yards per game (207.8), but the Eagles are still 10-2 because Barkley is leading the best rushing offense in the NFL.
Why else do QBs typically win this award? Voters view them as directly responsible for wins and losses and how their teams perform in the clutch. Well, there’s been no better closer in the NFL this season than Barkley. The 27-year-old leads the league in rushing yards (481), touchdowns (six) and rushes of at least 10 yards in the fourth quarter, per The Football Database. He already has four touchdown runs of at least 25 yards in the fourth quarter, and all four came in crucial moments to ice wins.
