Super Bowl 59 Running Backs Comparison: Saquon Gives Eagles Leg up
- Saquon Barkley is pivotal for the Eagles’ Super Bowl betting picks
- The Chiefs’ running back duo of Hunt and Pacheco offer grit and inspiration
While the Kansas City Chiefs have a significant edge at quarterback with Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl 59, it is the other way around for the running backs. Saquon Barkley is the clear-cut superstar of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Barkley has paced Philadelphia’s unstoppable run-heavy offense all season. He made a mockery of Washington in the NFC Championship Game and has short Super Bowl odds to win MVP. On the flip side, Kansas City’s running-back-by-committee has yielded the right results.
🚨🚨LEGENDARY🚨🚨#EAGLES RUNNING BACK SAQUON BARKLEY IS 362 YARDS AWAY FROM HAVING 3,000 YARDS IN A SEASON.
NO ONE HAS EVER DONE THIS.
🤯🤯🤯
Barkley is having one of the best seasons of all time. pic.twitter.com/4pU449Gauc
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) January 23, 2025
Chiefs vs Eagles Analysis: Running Backs
Saquon Barkley: Running All Over Everyone
At +225 on the NFL betting lines, Barkley is Philadelphia’s top contender to win Super Bowl MVP. And why not? The running back leads the league with 477 yards from scrimmage along with five touchdowns in the playoffs. If Philadelphia is to beat Kansas City, Barkley must stay prolific.
The Chiefs have a solid rushing defense. They’ve ranked in the top eight in most rushing defense statistics. But, per Chiefs vs Eagles stats, they’ve been vulnerable lately, having given up 147+ rushing yards in four straight contests and an average of one rushing TD in the last five games. Barkley easily cashed on our NFL props to score 2+ TDs and he could do so here again.
SAQUON BARKLEY 60 YARD TD ON THE EAGLES FIRST PLAY 🤯😱
UNREAL.
(via @NFL)
pic.twitter.com/z1nwtMZhDP— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 26, 2025
The Eagles only lost three games all season. Not coincidentally, Barkley failed to score a TD in two of these games. That third game was a 36-33 loss against Washington where the Eagles fell asleep at the wheel and let the Commanders score 22 fourth-quarter points.
Barkley’s dominance is not just historic but unconventional these days. Running backs typically do not dominate playoff games. That’s partly why only seven of the last 58 Super Bowl MVPs played the position. In fact, it’s been 27 years since Terrell Davis became the last RB to win the award. He set playoff records during this run for the Denver Broncos.
Philadelphia’s All-Pro RB is putting up an equally dominant postseason. Barkley’s not a bad NFL prediction to win the Super Bowl MVP and to be the missing piece to helping Philly beat Kansas City. After all, the Chiefs outrushed the Eagles in the last meeting. Philadelphia’s running backs managed just 45 rushing yards. Bet online on Barkley to improve on this stat.
Chiefs Running Backs: A Team Effort
While the Eagles have a true alpha at running back, the Chiefs have a dynamic duo with Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco. While their stats don’t come close to what Barkley has done, they have delivered for KC when called upon. Hunt is enjoying a renaissance on his road to redemption. He’s scored half of KC’s rushing TDs in the playoffs.
5 years ago today Kareem Hunt was pulled over in Cleveland & you could hear Kareem say…
“I should be playing for a frikin Super Bowl. Bro, it hurts, it hurts my soul.”
Today, Kareem will be playing for a frikin Super Bowl, & ALL of #ChiefsKingdom is behind you. 🥹
What a… https://t.co/9gm21CelHV pic.twitter.com/RjoFNVeOv8— Chief Concerns (@ConcernsChief) January 27, 2025
Meanwhile, Pacheco is still the team’s starter. While he’s only put up 30 rushing yards on 10 attempts, he’s still the same man who paced last year’s playoffs with 313 yards and three TDs in four games. He also gashed Philadelphia for 76 yards and a touchdown in Super Bowl 57.
Pacheco was on the team’s NFL injury report for half the season. He was limited to seven games thanks to a fractured fibula. The Chiefs turned to Hunt in Week 4 and he had locked up the starting job until Pacheco won it back in Week 11. But Hunt remained the team’s most productive back.
The embattled Hunt is having a full-circle moment with the team that drafted him. He rushed for a career-high 1,327 rushing yards in his rookie season and was selected to the Pro Bowl. But he was cut from the team following a domestic dispute.
Back with Kansas City, Hunt serves as an inspiration to the locker room. While he and Pacheco can’t hope to match Barkley yard-for-yard, the intangibles they provide more than make up for this lack of production.
Odds and information are accurate at the time of writing. Please check with official sources for the latest updates before placing any bets
Questions of the Day
How many rushing yards does Saquon Barkley have in his career?
Saquon Barkley has 8,579 rushing yards between 90 regular-season and 17 playoff games in his career.
