Football

Eagles star RB Saquon Barkley seeks to continue growing and 'understanding who Jesus is'

By Jon Ackerman Feb 5, 2025
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley at Super Bowl 59 Opening Night, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

NEW ORLEANS — Many folks are calling Super Bowl LIX a rematch of Super Bowl LVII two years ago, when the Kansas City Chiefs took down the Philadelphia Eagles on a last-minute field goal, 38-35. One big difference, however, is this year’s Eagles have Saquon Barkley.

They knew they were getting an elite running back when they signed the 27-year-old free agent back in March. What they couldn’t predict is that he’d turn in one of the finest seasons in NFL history.

>> Subscribe to Sports Spectrum Magazine for more stories where sports and faith connect <<

Unitus

Advertisment

A two-time Pro Bowler in six seasons with the New York Giants, Barkley not only earned another Pro Bowl nod in 2024-25 with the Eagles, he was named a first-team All-Pro for the first time and an NFL MVP finalist; he’s the only non-quarterback among the final five.

Barkley’s 2,005 rushing yards made him just the ninth player to surpass 2,000 in a season, and he finished just 100 yards shy of Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record (2,105) after the Eagles chose to rest their starters in the regular-season finale. After 442 rushing yards in three playoff games, Barkley needs just 30 more in the Super Bowl to surpass Terrell Davis (2,476) for the most rushing yards in a single season, including playoffs.

Behind Barkley and quarterback Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia featured the NFL’s second-best rushing attack (179.3 yards per game), the eighth-best total offense (367.2 yards) and seventh-best scoring offense (27.2 points). Barkley accounted for a career-high 96 points (13 rushing TDs, two receiving TDs, three two-point conversions). That makes the Eagles a tough foe when coupled with the league’s No. 1 overall defense (278.4 yards allowed per game) and second-best scoring defense (17.8 points allowed).

Barkley also provided what may be the play of the year when he performed a backward hurdle over a Jacksonville Jaguars defender.

Now he hopes to secure his first Super Bowl win, and Philadelphia’s second. The big game will be played on his 28th birthday.

“I think just winning the Super Bowl in general is such a cool moment and it puts you in football royalty,” Barkley said Monday at Super Bowl LIX’s opening night. “It’s something that you’ve wanted to accomplish since you’re a little kid. Whether it was on my birthday or not, to be able to win it would mean everything to me in the world.”

Later Monday night, Barkley acknowledged that this was his best season as a pro; his previous career high in rushing yards was 1,312 in 2022. He thinks it’s no coincidence that he also tried to “really hone in and grow my faith” this year.

“I’m not going to sit here and tell you that I know the Bible, like, in and out. It’s something I’m learning, I’m challenging myself to get better at with my family and my friends,” he said. “[I’m] really lucky to have my agent [Ed Berry], he’s a pastor and I’m able to have Bible studies with him.

“But [I’m] just growing, and I think that’s the beautiful thing about it, and I think that’s what religion and faith is, is having a relationship with God and understanding who Jesus is, and that’s what I’ve been trying to do this year. I’m going to continue to try to get better at it.”

On Wednesday, Sports Spectrum asked Barkley if there’s anyone on the team who’s been a spiritual leader to him. He said there wasn’t just one person, and that a number of guys on the team are open about their faith in God.

“I think the beauty of that would be that this team that we have — whether it’s me, Paris Campbell, A.J. [Brown], just having all those conversations — it’s kind of our biggest conversation starter, asking questions about religion and asking questions about faith,” Barkley told Sports Spectrum. “It just helps you grow and learn even more.”

Captain Brandon Graham also mentioned this week that there is a large number of believers on the Eagles. He’s seen God work throughout the team in the players’ “togetherness.”

“Sometimes, some teams, you might not see but three or four [in Bible study], and sometimes you see half the team and it’s like, ‘Oh, OK.’ Everybody grows at different times but this year I felt like we got majority of believers on this team, and people are not scared to be open with their faith,” Graham said.

Through that togetherness, in addition to their explosive offense and stout defense, the Eagles hope to end the Chiefs’ reign atop the NFL. After defeating the Eagles two years ago, Kansas City won a second consecutive Super Bowl last season, and now have a chance to become the first team to win three in a row.

Kickoff for Super Bowl LIX from New Orleans is set for Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET.

>> Do you know Christ personally? Learn how you can commit your life to Him. <<

RELATED STORIES:
— Chiefs All-Pro CB Trent McDuffie says faith is ‘the biggest thing in my life’
— Eagles’ Brandon Graham likely to return for SB as he keeps ‘serving God’
— SS PODCAST: Chiefs chaplain Marcellus Casey & wife on team’s faith journey
— SS PODCAST: Eagles chaplain Ted Winsley on faith during Super Bowl run
— WHAT’S UP PODCAST: Gracie Hunt – Daughter of Chiefs Chairman & CEO
— Eagles LB Oren Burks returns to SB, knows ‘God will love me’ no matter what
— Chiefs’ Carson Wentz knows ‘God’s been good,’ prepares to face old team
— Eagles’ A.J. Brown: Getting back to Super Bowl is ‘blessing from God’
— Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs to go for 3-peat: ‘I want to give all glory to God’

Tags: