Saquon Barkley didn’t break off many long runs in the Philadelphia Eagles’ wild card playoff matchup against the Green Bay Packers but appeared poised for a massive one to close the game.
The Eagles were leading 22-10 when Barkley took a second-and-6 carry behind the left side of Philadelphia’s offensive line. He found a big crease in the defense and burst through it, easily picking up the first down and having a clear path to the end-zone.
However, with just over one minute remaining in the game and the Packers being out of timeouts, Barkley opted not to take the carry to the house. Instead, he slid down after a gain of 17 yards – his longest run of the day – and set the Eagles up to end the game by taking a knee.
Barkley’s slide drew the attention of NFL bettors. The Eagles running back was one of the most bet anytime touchdown scorers at multiple sportsbooks, per ESPN’s David Purdum, so many had a vested interest in seeing Barkley find the end-zone.
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Naturally, Barkley had a much different thought process regarding the play. He explained after the game that he was happy to slide down to guarantee Philadelphia’s 12-point win.
‘[It’s] situational football,’ Barkley explained to reporters. ‘A first down ends the game.’
Barkley also detailed he wanted to make sure he and his teammates stayed healthy ahead of their divisional round matchup rather than scoring a touchdown that would simply run up the score.
‘You never know. I break that long one, I keep running [and] I pull a hammy,’ Barkley hypothetically posed. ‘Or someone’s chasing me [and] they pull a hammy, we lose a guy for next week. Get down, put a smile on your face and move on. That’s the thing that matters most.’
Barkley has been focused on winning throughout the 2024 NFL season, repeatedly giving up chances to chase personal milestones while approaching the season from a long-term lens.
Most notably, Barkley sat out the Eagles’ final game of the regular season despite needing just 101 rushing yards to break Eric Dickerson’s single-season NFL rushing record. Earlier in the year, he also decided to let his younger teammates play the final stages of Philadelphia’s 28-3 Week 7 win over the New York Giants rather than try to get the 13 yards he needed to break his personal-best rushing record.
Thus, it’s no surprise Barkley remained consistent with his messaging following Philadelphia’s 22-10 win over Green Bay.
‘Whether we throw for 400 yards, we rush for 400 yards – if we win the game, 3-0. I don’t give a (expletive), to be honest,’ Barkley said. ‘I just wanna win.’