Nov 24, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs the ball against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Gary A. Vasquez
Teams don't typically like to have early bye weeks. Over the course of a grueling 17-game season, it helps to have your open week later in the season, when you have taken a beating and need some time to catch your breath before the stretch run of the campaign.
However, the 2024 Eagles might be the rare team that benefitted from having an early October bye week. They went into their Week 5 bye week with a 2-2 record, having looked uneven on both sides of the ball. But the bye allowed the Eagles both to get healthy and to continue to soak in the systems of new coordinators on each side of the ball, Kellen Moore on offense and Vic Fangio on defense.
Sunday evening, the Eagles won their seventh consecutive game since the bye week, crushing the previously streaking Los Angeles Rams 37-20. Here are four takeaways from the ninth victory over the season for Nick Sirianni, Jalen Hurts and the Eagles.
Barkley took the first play from scrimmage in the second half of the game — helped by a great block from Landon Dickerson — 70 yards for a touchdown:
Saquon Barkley is pretty good ✅
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— On Pattison (@OnPattison) November 25, 2024
Barkley broke another major run late in the fourth quarter, a 72-yard scamper that allowed him to set a new Eagles' single-game rushing record. LeSean McCoy rushed for 217 yards against the Detroit Lions in the Snow Bowl on Dec. 8, 2013. Barkley shattered that franchise record Sunday night with 255 rushing yards. For good measure, he also caught four passes for 47 yards:
Like for Saquon Barkley = MVP 💯
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— On Pattison (@OnPattison) November 25, 2024
It was another dominant evening in what's becoming one of the great seasons in Eagles history. On the year, Barkley now has 1,397 rushing yards. And don't kid yourself, performances like these on the national stage absolutely carry extra weight in the minds of awards voters. And the take both locally and nationally tomorrow will be that not only should Barkley be at the forefront of the Offensive Player of the Year conversation, but probably the MVP favorite.
The contrarian take will be that a running back can't be more valuable than a quarterback. If you've watched the Eagles this season, with all due respect to Hurts, that's been disproven. Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen are still deserving of consideration as well, but Barkley absolutely has been among the three most valuable players in the sport in 2024.
In the overwhelming majority of cases, the most valuable player in a given season is a quarterback. But it shouldn't just be accepted that MVP is given to the quarterback on the team with the best record every year. Once in a while, a player at another position is deserving.
As you watched Barkley run roughshod over the Rams Sunday, it was hard not to wonder if he could be the first running back to win MVP since Adrian Peterson in 2012.
Editor's Note: This story was published before Graham revealed that he suffered a season-ending torn left triceps.
With each passing game, it becomes more fair to ask whether Graham should indeed follow through on his plan to retire after this season.
In his 15th season, Graham continues to be a valuable rotation piece on the defensive line of the Eagles. The 36-year-old turned in his best effort of the season Sunday against the Rams, recording three quarterback hits, two tackles for a loss and a sack.
Brandon Graham just moved into 3rd place on the Eagles' all-time sacks list (76.5) 😤@brandongraham55 | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/TDg5bI0NC3
All we're saying is that a 16th season for the former first-round pick might not be a bad idea.
This has probably been true for a while now, at least in part because the NFC just isn't very good in 2024. But after a seventh win in a row, it's undeniable now that the Eagles represent the top competition to the Lions for the No. 1 seed in the NFC, which comes with a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Don't get it twisted, the Lions would still be favored over the Eagles in a neutral site matchup, as they should be. Detroit improved to 10-1 with a 24-6 win over the Minnesota Vikings Sunday. They have a staggering +177 point differential, by far the best mark in the NFL. The next closest are the Buffalo Bills, a distant second at +106. The Eagles are at +97.
It should be pointed out, though, that the Eagles have a relatively easy schedule the remainder of the season, particularly since the NFC East is so weak. The final three games of the season for the Eagles are against what appears to be a fading Washington Commanders squad, and then the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants, who are each among the five worst teams in the NFL right now.
For as great as the Lions have been, they aren't even certain to win their own division. The Minnesota Vikings are 9-2, and the Green Bay Packers are 8-3. The Lions also still have matchups with the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers.
So the race for the No. 1 seed is very much alive. And the difference between the NFC Championship Game being outside at Lincoln Financial Field or indoors at Ford Field could decide who represents the NFC in Super Bowl LIX.
The Eagles will have their hardest test of the 2024 season, as they travel to Baltimore to face the aforementioned Jackson and the Ravens. It will be a matchup between the two top candidates for Offensive Player of the Year in Barkley and Derrick Henry.
