The Washington Commanders took the ball first in the NFC Championship Game and embarked on their longest drive of the season — 18 plays — consuming over 7 minutes of clock before settling for a 34-yard field goal, taking a 3-0 lead over the Philadelphia Eagles.
When the Eagles finally got their chance, they needed just one play. NFL All-Pro running back Saquon Barkley turned a quick run into a stunning 60-yard touchdown, giving the Eagles a 7-3 lead.
It was Barkley’s seventh touchdown run of over 60 yards this season and his third in just two games, following scores of 72 and 68 yards in the Eagles’ 28-22 win over the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional Round.
Barkley added another touchdown in the first quarter — this time from 4 yards out — extending the Eagles’ lead to 14-3.
Barkley’s explosive opening score against the Commanders not only electrified the roughly 70,000 fans at Lincoln Financial Field but also ignited a social media firestorm.
Best Reactions to Barkley’s Opening TD Run
Barkley’s touchdown was a prime moment for fans and commentators online.
“SAQUON CRIBBED IT ON THE FIRST PLAY FROM SCRIMMAGE,” ESPN’s SportsCenter posted on X.
“They should have stopped the game after he did that,” ESPN’s Myron Medcalf joked on X. “Walked off the field.”
“First play from scrimmage: A 60-yard TD by Saquon Barkley. Crowd chants ‘M-V-P.’ Barkley now has TD runs of 68, 60, 39, and 23 against Washington this season,” PHLY’s Zach Berman shared on X.
“SAQUON ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!” the NFL’s official X account exclaimed.
But the best reaction came from Barkley’s former New York Giants teammate, linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux. Thibodeaux posted a GIF of Chris Tucker’s character Smokey from the 1995 film Friday, saying “Don’t laugh, it ain’t funny.”
Barkley Becomes 9th Player in NFL History to Break 2,000 Rushing Yards
Barkley was named NFL All-Pro after becoming just the ninth player in NFL history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season.
Barkley made headlines when he signed a 3-year, $37.75 million free agent contract with the Eagles after the Giants decided his price tag was too high. He was selected No. 2 overall by the Giants in the 2018 NFL draft.
The Eagles finished the season with a 14-3 record and earned the No. 2 seed in the NFC Playoffs. Despite his remarkable season, Barkley missed being named a unanimous All-Pro by just 2 votes, receiving 48 out of 50 first-place votes. Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry received the 2 votes that went elsewhere.
Barkley was close to breaking the single-season NFL rushing record of 2,105 yards set by Los Angeles Rams running back Eric Dickerson, but he chose to sit out the regular-season finale against the Giants, a game that had no playoff implications.
“At the end of the day, I don’t care for putting the team at risk,” Barkley told NBC Sports Philadelphia on January 2. “(Nick Sirianni) is the head coach for a reason. He makes the decisions, and whatever decision he wanted to make, I let him know if you want me to play, I’m going to go out there and make sure I get it. If we don’t, I’m OK with that too.”
