It was a transfer straight out of “Tremendous Mario Bros.,” or perhaps a “John Wick” film — a blind leap over a helpless cornerback whereas Saquon Barkley’s complete again confronted the protection.
Who even thinks of pulling one thing like this off, not to mention has the flexibility to take action?
“There’s going to be children everywhere in the nation and throughout Philadelphia making an attempt to make that play,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni stated later.
“I kinda simply let go, and let my physique simply react,” Barkley stated later. “That play was cool.”
Chalk it up as among the finest performs of the yr — and of Barkley’s profession. And it put him within the Offensive Participant of the 12 months dialog. The Eagles working again was stellar as soon as once more on Sunday, piling up 199 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns (regardless of fumbling as soon as) in Philadelphia’s 28-23 win over Jacksonville. The Eagles’ win streak is now 4 as they attempt to maintain tempo with the red-hot Washington Commanders, 27-22 winners over the reeling Giants on Sunday, within the NFC East.
GO DEEPER
NFL Week 9 takeaways: Is Eagles’ recreation administration a giant downside? Who’s the AFC’s second-best crew?
By the way in which, the final time Washington began 7-2? You must go all the way in which again to 1996, three years earlier than Dan Snyder purchased the crew.
Everybody within the NFC stays in pursuit of the Detroit Lions, who dealt with the Inexperienced Bay Packers at Lambeau Subject, 24-14. Any concern of Dan Campbell’s crew fading after star go rusher Aidan Hutchinson went down has been silenced. Slightly emphatically, actually. The Lions are harmful. This seems each bit like a Tremendous Bowl crew.
In the meantime, the Dallas Cowboys don’t even appear like a playoff crew. They’re formally in a free fall. With Sunday’s 27-21 loss in Atlanta, Dallas (3-5) has misplaced three straight and sits two video games beneath .500 for the primary time since 2020, Mike McCarthy’s first season as coach. Loads of indicators level to this being his final. Making issues worse, quarterback Dak Prescott left the sport with a hamstring harm and was seen limping to the locker room. “Involved” was how proprietor Jerry Jones put it after the sport.
For a franchise that did nearly nothing to enhance its roster within the offseason and brushed away the surface criticism that adopted, one thing concerning the Cowboys’ disastrous begin feels applicable.
Within the NFC West, two groups are heating up, and all 4 within the division are inside a recreation of the lead. It’s the shocking Cardinals in entrance after Arizona routed the Bears 29-9 at house. However don’t sleep on the Rams, who’ve received three straight after beating the Seahawks 26-20 in extra time.
In Carolina, the lowly Panthers received for simply the second time this season, and Bryce Younger received for simply the third time in his profession. “Greater than something, I’m blissful for the fellows,” Younger stated.
New Orleans has dropped seven straight and is now within the working for the primary total decide. Derek Carr’s indirect harm — the quarterback missed three video games — performed a job, however Carr returned for Sunday’s recreation towards the Panthers, and the Saints couldn’t even beat one of many worst groups within the league.
In Baltimore, Lamar Jackson put collectively an MVP-worthy efficiency for the second time in three weeks, throwing three touchdowns and ending with an ideal passer ranking in a 41-10 blowout of the Broncos. Talking of the Offensive Participant of the 12 months race, with two extra touchdowns Sunday, Derrick Henry grew to become simply the third participant in league historical past to pile up 10 or extra speeding scores in seven straight seasons. The others: LaDainian Tomlinson and Adrian Peterson.
Amid the offseason drama the Bengals carried with them into Week 1, it’s generally simple to overlook how good Joe Burrow is at soccer. Sunday was a reminder. Burrow torched the Raiders for 5 touchdowns in a 41-24 win.
Las Vegas is now 2-7 and has dropped 5 straight. Veteran defensive finish Maxx Crosby sounded off after the sport. “It (expletive) sucks to lose 5 in a row.” Late Sunday, the Raiders introduced they’d fired offensive coordinator Luke Getsy.
In Nashville, Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye made the play of the day — till Barkley surpassed him about an hour later — as regulation ended, scrambling within the pocket for 12 lengthy seconds earlier than discovering Rhamondre Stevenson ultimately zone for a game-tying landing. It was some exceptional poise from a rookie in a giant second, however ultimately, it wasn’t sufficient: The Titans kicked a subject objective in extra time, and the Patriots couldn’t match. The win was Tennessee’s second in eight tries this season.
In Cleveland, the Chargers received their third in 4 weeks by beating the Browns 27-10. At this level, it’s going to be laborious for both Los Angeles (5-3) or Denver (5-4) to catch Kansas Metropolis within the AFC West. However each groups are very a lot alive for a wild-card spot.
In Buffalo, the Dolphins slumped to 2-6 after dropping their ninth straight highway recreation to the Payments. (Miami’s final win in that stadium? Attempt Christmas Eve 2016.) Josh Allen completed with three touchdowns, and kicker Tyler Bass — who missed an additional level earlier within the recreation, and almost botched one other — drilled a subject objective from 61 yards with 5 seconds left to maneuver the Payments to 7-2. That’s the second-best document within the convention, trailing solely the 7-0 Chiefs, who host the Bucs Monday night time.
Right here’s what we discovered throughout Week 9 within the NFL:
Lions ‘constructed to win’
For those who present as much as Lambeau Subject carrying a “Greenbay sucks” sweatshirt, you had higher deliver your A recreation on the sector. Seems, Amon-Ra St. Brown knew what he was doing. In all probability as a result of he is aware of how good his crew is.
The Lions wideout had seven catches and a landing in a 10-point win over the Packers that was by no means all that shut. On a rain-soaked afternoon towards one other contender, the Lions left little question as to who the perfect crew within the division is, not to mention all the convention.
“I’m not shocked one bit we got here out right here and performed fairly good soccer out within the components,” Campbell stated. “We’re constructed for this, man. It doesn’t matter simply because we play indoors. It doesn’t matter. We will play anyplace. We will play within the snow. We will play within the rain. We will play within the mud. That’s simply us. We’re constructed to win, man.”
He’s proper. The Lions are on a tear, winners of seven of their first eight, and look as full as some other crew in soccer. It’s the franchise’s greatest begin since 1956.
Quarterback Jared Goff continues to play essentially the most environment friendly soccer of his profession: His 82.8 completion proportion relationship to Week 3 passes Peyton Manning for the best completion proportion over a six-game span in NFL historical past. Amid heavy rain Sunday, he completed with simply 4 incompletions on 22 makes an attempt, throwing for 145 yards and a landing. Over that very same six-game stretch, the Lions have piled up extra touchdowns (28) than Goff has thrown incompletions (24).
For the Packers, Jordan Love threw his league-leading tenth interception of the season within the loss. Inexperienced Bay didn’t discover the top zone till the fourth quarter.
Indy’s offense goes backward
When the Colts made the daring choice final week to bench their 22-year-old beginning quarterback 10 video games into his profession for a 39-year-old veteran, this was not what they’d in thoughts.
Indianapolis envisioned an environment friendly offense harking back to Joe Flacco’s two begins earlier this season when Anthony Richardson was injured. As an alternative, they bought a extremely disappointing one: The Colts failed to succeed in the purple zone as soon as in a 21-13 loss to the Vikings Sunday night time in Minneapolis. Indianapolis by no means bought the run recreation going — Jonathan Taylor completed with 48 yards on 13 carries — and although Flacco linked on some good throws, the downfield risk was by no means there. Flacco completed 16 of 27 for 179 yards and was intercepted as soon as. The Colts went 3 of 11 on third down and managed simply 227 yards of whole offense.
All instructed, it wasn’t near sufficient. Not whenever you’re leaving Justin Jefferson (137 receiving yards) in single protection or failing to gradual Aaron Jones (64 speeding yards) within the second half.
It was removed from the Vikings’ most spectacular win of the season — Minnesota was scoreless within the first half after a handful of self-inflicted wounds — but it surely was a victory nonetheless for a crew that wanted it. The Vikings’ two-game dropping streak is historical past, and at 6-2, they continue to be one recreation again of the Lions within the NFC North. Sam Darnold completed 28 of 34 for 290 yards, three touchdowns and two picks.
The Colts, in the meantime, are actually 4-5, having didn’t capitalize on a golden alternative to drag nearer to the struggling Texans (6-3) within the AFC South race. Indy’s solely shiny spot Sunday was a compelled fumble by defensive sort out Grover Stewart that cornerback Kenny Moore returned for the Colts’ lone landing. Apart from that, Indy’s longest drive was 55 yards — and it ended with an interception.
It received’t get any simpler for the Colts. The 7-2 Payments come to city subsequent week.
Cardinals, Rams atop NFC West
It could be time to take the Cardinals severely.
Jonathan Gannon’s squad — gentle on expertise because it was a yr in the past — was quietly aggressive in 2023 regardless of ending 4-13. This yr, with Kyler Murray wholesome from the beginning and a brand new weapon in Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona is among the league’s greatest surprises. The Cardinals improved to 5-4 after Sunday’s 20-point win over the Bears and are actually in first place within the NFC West, a division they haven’t received in 9 years.
“The leaders on this crew, they’re doing a extremely good job of staying linked,” Gannon stated after his crew’s fourth win in 5 weeks.
If the playoffs had been to begin right this moment, Arizona would host a wild-card recreation for the primary time since January 2016.
However the division is as crowded as some other in soccer. Matthew Stafford’s 39-yard strike to Demarcus Robinson in extra time clinched the Rams’ third win in a row. L.A. began 1-4 because the protection struggled and the crew was gashed by accidents. However Sean McVay’s crew is getting more healthy, and first-year coordinator Chris Shula’s protection hasn’t allowed greater than 20 factors in three straight video games and intercepted Geno Smith 3 times Sunday.
Don’t overlook concerning the 49ers, who’re 4-4 however getting more healthy as effectively with Christian McCaffrey returning quickly. The division race may final all the way in which till Week 18.
Are Eagles figuring it out?
Take into account, for a second, the Eagles’ final 21 months. They suffered a heartbreaking Tremendous Bowl loss in February 2023, then began the subsequent yr 10-1 solely to crumble down the stretch, dropping six of their closing seven. They changed each coordinators after getting routed in a playoff loss to the Bucs, weathered studies of friction between coach Nick Sirianni — whose seat appeared to be warming by the minute — and star quarterback Jalen Hurts, all whereas rumors swirled concerning the crew’s curiosity in luring Invoice Belichick to city. Then, within the spring, they signed among the finest gamers in soccer.
Good factor they did. As a result of Barkley continues to indicate why he’s one of many uncommon abilities on this league.
Saquon Barkley is placing collectively an All-Professional season — full with iconic moments — in his first yr in Philadelphia. (Mitchell Leff / Getty Pictures)
Even with Barkley within the fold, the Eagles’ 3-2 begin to 2024 didn’t appear all that encouraging — this was an uneven crew nonetheless stricken by a number of the points that led to final yr’s late-season collapse. Too many turnovers from Hurts. Defensive breakdowns. Odd teaching choices. Making issues worse: Sirianni was caught jawing at his personal followers on the sideline after an unsightly win over the Browns in Week 5. It was a nasty search for a crew that appeared to be underachieving.
At that time, there have been way more hints of discord than concord.
And but, three weeks later, the Eagles are beginning to look extra like a contender than a crew regressing — this regardless of some extra curious choices by Sirianni in Sunday’s 28-23 win over the Jaguars. Barkley is a highlight-waiting-to-happen each week. DeVonta Smith made one of many prettiest catches of the yr. And the protection closed out the crew’s fourth straight win with a Nakobe Dean interception.
The Eagles and Sirianni wanted it — a 22-0 recreation halfway by means of the third quarter had turn out to be a 28-23 one late within the fourth. Blowing this one would’ve been a substantial setback for a franchise loaded with expertise and determined to maintain tempo with the Commanders within the NFC East.
Exterior of a pair of video games towards Washington, the Eagles will see simply two groups the remainder of the way in which with successful information in the intervening time (Baltimore and Pittsburgh). Maybe Barkley will show the distinction down the stretch the Eagles sorely missed final winter.
Crowded race for the No. 1 decide
Sometimes, a couple of bottom-feeders have separated themselves from the pack by this level.
Not this yr. Not but, a minimum of. With a bit of over two months left within the common season, the race for subsequent spring’s No. 1 decide has but to essentially take form. The most important motive? There are such a lot of struggling groups. After Sunday, there are actually seven squads with a league-worst 2-7 document: the Patriots, Raiders, Browns, Giants, Saints, Panthers and Jaguars.
And two extra — the Dolphins and Titans — aren’t far behind at 2-6.
Which crew will end the common with the fewest wins? Carolina stays skinny on expertise, although Bryce Younger is enjoying higher since getting back from his benching. The Raiders’ quarterback scenario stays unresolved, and it received’t be till a minimum of 2025 on the earliest. The Saints are reeling. So are the Jaguars. This figures to go all the way in which right down to the wire.
(Picture of Jared Goff: Stacy Revere / Getty Pictures)
