Saquon Barkley had a dominant first half against the Washington Commanders, rushing for 123 yards and two touchdowns. However, Washington's defense made adjustments in the second half, stacking the box and limiting Barkley to just 27 yards on 16 carries. This defensive strategy proved effective, ultimately contributing to the Eagles' loss.
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) celebrating his touchdown with teammate Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders , Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)Through the first 16 weeks, most teams have not been able to slow down Barkley, who has rushed for a league-high 1,838 yards and 13 touchdowns.
And for a while, it felt like Washington’s defense would let Barkley take over the game, too.The Commanders struggled to contain Barkley on big runs to the left, including on his 68-yard touchdown late in the first quarter. On the Eagles' second offensive drive, Barkley had a 19-yard carry and a 13-yard carry. Then, he rushed for a two-yard touchdown to give Philadelphia a 7-0 lead. Barkley finished the first half with 123 rushing yards and two touchdowns, but he only rushed for 27 yards on 16-second half carries. After halftime, the Commanders' defense stacked the box to slow down Barkley. Other teams have tried using extra defenders in run support to stop Philadelphia’s rush attack, but Washington and Pittsburgh have been the only two teams in the last six weeks to do it effectively.When Hurts and Barkley are in the same backfield, the Eagles have the best rush offense in the NFL. But when Hurts is not playing, teams might be able to shut down Barkley like Washington did in the second half. “Sometimes that’s football,” Barkley said. “Obviously, you want to go out there and win every single game. But they did a really job of adjusting. Usually, we are the team that adjusts better in the second half. We’ve shown that throughout the whole season. We as a whole didn’t do enough. When that happens, you tend to lose football games.” Early in the third quarter, Barkley lined up in the wildcat formation to take a direct snap on third-and-
Saquon Barkley Philadelphia Eagles Washington Commanders NFL Defense
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