Saquon Barkley MVP athleticism peeks through in Week 1 against Dallas

Saquon Barkley is coming off a history 2024-25 performance for running backs, leading the NFL in carries and rushing yards with 345 and 2,005, respectively. On Thursday night to kick off the 2025 regular season for the Philadelphia Eagles and league, the former Penn State running back started his early campaign for MVP.

Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts got the Eagles offense rolling with two rushing touchdowns, but Barkley capped off the first half with the third score and answered Dallas' field goal with a punch to put the green and silver up 21-17.

Hurts and Barkley connected instantly off the snap and the former Nittany Lion grazed past the defense smoothly. Barkley pushed off a defender with his shoulder went head first into the end zone. The Cowboys only managed a second consecutive field goal in response and the Eagles headed into the locker room up one ready to get the ball first in the second half.

The drive that resulted in Barkley's touchdown was sparked by a fellow former Nittany Lion, Jahan Dotson. The wide receiver's only target of the first half resulted in a 51-yard long pass from Hurts at the Eagles' 23-yard line to cross midfield and move the chains well into Dallas territory on third-and-six.

The star running back tallied 49 rushing yards in the first half on 10 attempts as well as a reception for eight yards.

His production was contested more after the lightning-induced weather delay passed as the Cowboys defense went all-in on clogging up his routes in the run game. That didn't silence Barkley entirely, though.

"You just think [Barkley's] going to be on the ground because [you] hit him that hard and he's not," Chris Collinsworth said on the NBC broadcast.

After the delay, Barkley added a second reception to the season already as well. With less than 10 minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Barkley separated himself from the middle and extended his reach to complete a one-arm grab from Hurts. He threw up a stiff arm on linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr., spun, and pushed his back through the incoming Dallas defenders to move the chains on second down.

Barkley ended the night with 60 rushing yards on 18 carries, just two yards behind his quarterback.

"Complementary force," Hurts said on NBC's postgame on-field interview of he and Barkley being yin and yang. "We approach things in a very similar way, same mentality, but [we] express it differently."

Barkley's Week 1 performance comes right after being named No. 1 on the NFL Top 100 on Sept. 1. Amazon Prime Video also revealed the trailer for its upcoming feature-length documentary on the running back titled "Saquon" set to premiere on Oct. 9.

The road to another championship win and a potential MVP trophy continues in Week 2 when the Eagles face the Chiefs for a Super Bowl LIX matchup on Sunday, Sept. 14. Kickoff at Arrowhead Stadium is slated for 4:25 p.m. ET.

"Obviously, we're happy that got the win," Barkley said postgame. "It's hard to go 1-0 in this league, and and especially if it's a division opponent, but that was the main thing and we got it done.