EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was written about a month ago. I’m going to update it with new stats following Saquon Barkley’s ridiculous 255 yard performance against the LA Rams on Sunday night football.

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There’s a lot of talk about explosive plays in the modern-day NFL. How often can teams rip off runs of 12+ yards and passing plays of 16+?

For the Eagles, the running game has been a source of this in 2024.

It’s been a catalyst for several wins, first in Brazil and second in North Jersey, which are two scenic locations. And now the Eagles are 9-2 on the strength of 70 and 72-yard Saquon Barkley touchdown runs at SoFi Stadium.


Through six  games this year, Saquon logged the following:

  • 7 explosive runs (tied for 27th)
  • 14 runs of 10+ yards (tied for 4th)
  • 7 runs of 20+ yards (3rd)
  • 3 runs of 50+ yards (1st)
  • 658 rushing yards (3rd)
  • 109.7 rush yards per game (2nd)

Updating those stats after 11 games, the bulleted list now looks like this:

  • 17 explosive runs (tied for 6th)
  • 29 yards of 10+ yards (1st)
  • 12 runs of 20+ yards (2nd)
  • 5 runs of 50+ yards (1st)
  • 1,392 rushing yards (1st)
  • 126.5 rushing yards per game (1st)

He went from top three in most of those categories to 6th, 1st, 2nd, 1st, 1st, and 1st. He has more rushing yards than the New York Giants and has eclipsed his single-season high from his six years in New York.

What’s fascinating is that the Eagles ran the ball well in with D’Andre Swift in 2023 and with Miles Sanders during the 2022 Super Bowl year, but explosives weren’t a huge part of that. Swift finished last season with 17 explosive runs, 22 for 10+, 6 for 20+ and 0 for 50+. Barkley is already ahead of him in two of those categories and on pace to crest the other two. Two seasons prior, Sanders had 25 explosive runs, 34 for 10+, 9 for 20+, and 0 for 50+ during his best NFL season, running behind that monstrosity of an offensive line. And Jalen Hurts chipped in with 17 explosives of his own, with 7 that went for 20+.

But the 50+ runs really are unique. Going through the SportRadar data, the Eagles only had six total between 2019 and 2023. Sanders had five of those, which took place prior to 2022, and included the 82-yard play back in 2020. The other 50+ run belonged to Boston Scott, when he took it 56-yards to the house against the Giants, of course.

If it seems surprising, it’s not. This is what Saquon does. If you roll the data back 10 years and analyze 2014 to 2024, only Derrick Henry has more 50+ yard rushes than Barkley. Nick Chubb is third and then there’s a drop off to Dalvin Cook, Mark Ingram, Jonathan Taylor and Aaron Jones. These plays are rare, and shouldn’t be counted on with any kind of regularity, but you see what happens when they occur. They change the flow of the game entirely.

Oh yeah, and one final stat for the junkies on here. Over the last 50 years, only two running backs have logged more than 20 runs of 50+ yards in their careers. Those players are Barry Sanders and Adrian Peterson. Number 3 and 4 on the list? Henry is third, with 18 total, and Saquon is 4th all time, jumping LaDainian Tomlinson on Sunday night.