Saquon Barkley broke free for a 62-yard touchdown run early in the Philadelphia Eagles playoff showdown with the Los Angeles Rams. That on its own would have been enough of a statement.
But Barkley doubled down when he saw who was in his rear view. The last man on his tail was Rams pass rusher Jared Verse — the same rookie who’d spent the week leading up to Sunday’s game telling the world he “hate[s] Eagles fans. They’re so annoying.”
So as the end zone neared, Barkley slowed up to quietly (and, importantly, subtly enough as to not draw a taunting penalty) let Verse know he’d messed up.
May we interest you in a Saquon Barkley 62-yd TD run? 🥶@Saquon | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/6LMfgx82H3
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) January 19, 2025
The slow-down nearly backfired. Verse clocks in at 260 pounds, but he reached a top speed of 21.6 miles per hour on the run, per Next Gen Stats. That’s faster than Jonathan Taylor’s fastest run in 2024. So when Barkley slowed up, he nearly got himself caught in the process.
Saquon let Jared Verse get a good look at it pic.twitter.com/z9q7tr1ueS
— Tyler Jackson (@TJack94) January 19, 2025
Instead, he managed to merely give Verse a taste of greatness before breaking the plane of the goal line for six points and a 13-7 Eagles lead. Verse found redemption, however. He had two of Los Angeles’s four sacks in the first half alone against Jalen Hurts.
