Saquon Barkley has a penchant for big plays. He also has a tendency to get tackled short of the goal line.
Barkley has been tackled at the 1- or 2-yard line 11 times this season, most in the league, per NFL Research. Most of those ended in "Brotherly Shove" touchdowns for quarterback Jalen Hurts.
With the number of instances that Barkley is nipped at the 1-yard-line, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni was asked Monday if he considers letting the running back finish the job more often.
"You always think about that. I think one thing we think about a lot in the red zone ... a quarterback sneak, it's tough to lose yardage there," Sirianni said, via team transcript. "So when you come out, the worst thing you can do in red zone football is move backwards. That's one the worst things that can happen there and put you behind the sticks. You always want to stay ahead of the sticks because things get harder and tighter down there as you move down in there."
That's a legit point from Sirianni. On one of Barkley's few carries from the 1-yard-line, he was stuffed for a loss.
"So we've had a lot of success with the quarterback sneak," Sirianni added. "Jalen has scored a lot of touchdowns. So there are times where, yeah -- again, I want to be careful how I'm answering this, but I again want to answer your question. That's probably the best way I can say that. Saquon has done a great job."
Barkley sits second in the NFL with 1,137 yards and sixth with eight rushing scores. The back is averaging career highs in rush YPG (113.1), yards per carry (5.8), and scrimmage YPG (134.7) in 2024 with the Eagles.
Sirianni said he's always talked with his running backs about the balance with the tush push and getting them to pay dirt but never had an issue.
"He's getting us down there, yes," he said "He's got eight touchdowns, and [we're] excited for him on that. He's playing at a high, high level. But I think Saquon is a great teammate."
The good news for Barkley is that his reps foresaw the vultured goal-line TDs, and none of his incentives are tied to scores, as NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported over the weekend.
