Aug 22, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) looks on before the game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Smith-Imagn Images Mark Smith-Imagn Images

Take Home Your Piece Of Eagles History With Saquon Barkley Sports Illustrated Cover

Originally posted on Philadelphia Eagles on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Sep 6, 2025 1:21 PM ET

If you’re a Philadelphia Eagles fan, you can still get a piece of history.

Philadelphia started the season off on a high note with a win over the Dallas Cowboys. Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley combined for three rushing touchdowns in the Week 1 win. You’re likely going to continue to see a lot out of these two this year. The victory marks their first challenge as defending Super Bowl champions.

It was a historic season last year after Barkley came to town. He was the piece Philadelphia needed. In the aftermath of the Super Bowl win and preparation for the team’s title defense, Barkley sat down with Sports Illustrated's Greg Bishop and talked about these subjects and much more.

Barkley is the cover athlete for Sports Illustrated's newest edition and you can check it out here.

Can Saquon Barkley find a way to match his 2024 performance?

Last season, Barkley was a revelation for the Eagles. In total, he racked up 2,005 rushing yards on 345 carries in 16 regular season games. That was good for an eye-popping average of 125.3 rushing yards per game. On top of this, he had 33 catches for 278 yards and 15 total touchdowns.

That production carried over into the postseason where he became the first running back in National Football League history to reach the 2,500-yard threshold in a season, including the playoffs. It was a special season and Bishop and Barkley discussed it all.

It's going to be hard to match the season that Barkley had last year. When you become just the ninth running back in NFL history to reach 2,000 yards, it's very difficult to top that the following season. But, if anyone can follow up with a big year, it would be him. In the first game of the season this year, Barkley rushed for 60 yards to go along with one touchdown. He also had four catches for 24 yards in the team's 24-20 win over the Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field.

This article first appeared on Philadelphia Eagles on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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