How Saquon Barkley, Steve Spagnuolo have fared head-to-head

“And that's the beauty about playing for the Philadelphia Eagles,” Barkley said this week, courtesy of NBC Sports Philadelphia. “We have so much talent and you take away one thing, we have the opportunity to hurt you in another.

“But that's just a mindset. Whatever it takes to win football games, whether they stack the box or they don't. But if you don't stack the box, I will make you pay for it. that's just how I feel.”

Reigning NFL rushing champion

No one wants Barkley to make them pay for anything. And those words from the reigning NFL rushing champion don’t exactly supply good nights of sleep for defensive coordinators like Spagnuolo.

And, ironically, Spagnuolo stacked the box against the Chargers in last week’s 27-21 loss much the same way he did against Barkley in the Super Bowl, holding the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year to only 57 yards on 25 carries, a season-low 2.3 average per attempt.

Barkley barely got enough yards to break the NFL’s single-season rushing record (including postseason), and he did it with the lowest average per carry ever in a Super Bowl for a player with at least 20 attempts.

“Yeah, I wish the other part of it was a little bit better,” Spagnuolo said, referring to Philadelphia’s 33 offensive points and 345 net yards. “I always look at the point total, and certainly didn't like the point total.

“I got a great deal of respect for this team, the organization, the quarterback, all the skill they have, the running back. There's a lot of pieces there to defend. And you know, we didn't have a good game last week, so it's time for us to put our stuff all together, too.”

Last week against Dallas

Barkley didn’t have a good game last week, either. He averaged only 3.3 yards per carry, with 60 yards on 18 attempts. Last season, he averaged 5.7 yards per tote (436 attempts, 2,504 yards) from Week 1 through the Super Bowl, adding 18 touchdowns.

And just like Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs last week, Philadelphia’s leading rusher was its quarterback. Jalen Hurts not only had 62 rushing yards, he also registered multiple rushing touchdowns for an 18th game, including postseason. No other quarterback has more such games.

“Yeah, man, they have a lot of playmakers there and at quarterback,” Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton said Wednesday. “Obviously, he’s been a great player from the last couple of years, run game, pass, quick throws, deep ball; kind of does a little bit everything for them.

“Obviously, we know the playmakers they have. So, it's going to be a challenge for us to be all hands on deck, and disciplined and focused, and just out there playing with effort, playing with energy.”