PHILADELPHIA — Saquon Barkley still remembers what it was like going up against the Chiefs’ defense in Super Bowl LIX, almost exactly seven months later to the day.
“They were gap sound, man,” Barkley told PennLive on Wednesday at the NovaCare Complex. “They ran to the ball well. They tackled well. They were physical. You could tell they were a well-coached team with great players. They presented challenges in that game.”
Barkley paused before continuing.
“But at the same time, we were able to put up 40 points and play well and get the win,” Barkley said. “That was the most important thing.”
Thanks to the Chiefs being hellbent on stopping Saquon, Jalen Hurts and the passing game flourished, and the Eagles lifted the Lombardi Trophy. Sure, Barkley got bottled up. But he also got the parade, the ring and the last laugh.
The question now, though, as Barkley prepares to face the Chiefs again — this time on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium, 217 days removed from Super Bowl LIX — is will it happen again?
Will Barkley have a chance to break loose in this weekend’s Super Bowl rematch? Or will the Chiefs’ defense once again sell out to stop the 2024 NFL Offensive Player of the Year?
Super Bowl LIX: Kansas City Chiefs v Philadelphia Eagles
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - FEBRUARY 09: Saquon Barkley #26 of the Philadelphia Eagles runs the ball in the fourth quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs during Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome on February 09, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)Getty Images
No one knows the answer to that last question except for a handful of people: Andy Reid, Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and the Kansas City defense. Nick Sirianni and the Eagles’ offensive staff are going to try to figure it out. But it’s a bit of a guessing game.
Sirianni talked at length on Wednesday about the familiarity the Eagles have with the Chiefs. Sirianni, since he was hired as Philadelphia’s head coach in 2021, has faced only four teams every single season: the Eagles’ three NFC East rivals and the Chiefs. The Eagles faced Kansas City in the regular season in 2021 and 2023 and in the Super Bowls LVII and LIX. That familiarity (and that tape) is helpful when it comes to game planning.
But the main difference in those four games played against Kansas City? The Eagles had Barkley, one of the best running backs in the NFL, for only one of those meetings.
On Feb. 9 in New Orleans, Barkley was kept in check. Kansas City held the Eagles’ star to his second-lowest rushing total of his record-breaking 2024 season. Barkley managed 57 yards on 25 carries, 2.3 yards per attempt — his lowest clip in a game since December 2023.
Ultimately, the attention paid to Barkley worked out for the Eagles. Hurts threw for 221 yards, rushed for another 72, accounted for three total touchdowns and won Super Bowl MVP.
But there was talk this offseason about whether or not the Chiefs delivered a blueprint to stopping — or at least slowing down — Barkley after his 2,000-yard season in Philly. And judging from Week 1, it seems like the league might be adopting that blueprint.
Barkley rushed for only 60 yards on 18 carries in the Eagles’ 24-20 win over the Cowboys last Thursday. Barkley faced stacked boxes (eight or more defenders) on 12 of those 18 carries (66.7%), per Next Gen Stats. The former Penn State star did well to make the most out of the situation, turning no gains into four-yard and six-yard pickups. And, just like Super Bowl LIX, Barkley and the Eagles still came out with a victory.
But the reality is Barkley has now been limited to 117 rushing yards in his last two games — fewer yards than he had in each of the Eagles’ games against the Commanders (118 yards), Rams (205 yards) and Packers (119 yards) last postseason.
Now, maybe the Chiefs won’t follow the same script from Super Bowl LIX. Maybe Spagnuolo will recognize that their plan worked on Barkley but not on the whole. Maybe the Chiefs — after holding Chargers rookie Omarion Hampton to 48 yards on 15 carries while stacking the box only 20% of the time in Week 1 — will take a more even approach on Sunday.
Or maybe Barkley will be forced to earn every yard against stacked boxes.
Either way, Barkley knows after Super Bowl LIX that the Eagles always have a path to victory.
“Every time I go back and watch that game or see clips of it, I was in hell, for sure,” Barkley said in August. “But the beauty of playing for the Philadelphia Eagles is we have a lot of great guys around us. So whatever teams want to do, it’s kind of pick your poison.”
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