Barkley can win OPOY again
By: Jake Rajala
Saquon Barkley, also known as the man who hopped over a defender backward, won Offensive Player of The Year last season. His memorizing plays brought back memories of Odell Beckham Jr. catching a pass with one hand, while being pulled back. With that said, a pivotal, fascinating question arises: can Barkley win OPOY again? I believe so. I will untwine a few key reasons why I believe this.
Offensive Line
Last January, PFF dubbed the Eagles OL as the best OL unit in the league. Jordan Mailata registered a PFF grade of 95.8, which was first in the league. The veteran Lane Johnson also recorded a grade of 85.4! This was seventh in the league. It would be an understatement to say the Eagles have the best OT tandem in the league. The guard Landon Dickerson also is a modest player – as he had a grade of 79.2.
Competition
Philly doesn’t have the most daunting list of foes, especially when it comes to stopping the run. Washington is 31st, Dallas is 29th, and the New York Giants are 26th in rushing yards per game allowed. He ran for at least 146 rushing yards in four of his five division contests. I’d love to see Barkley run up the score, even it seems cruel. After all, division foes are meant to hate one another.
QB performances
I don’t believe that a Tom Brady or Peyton Manning performance is waiting to happen just yet. Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers didn’t showcase an MVP caliber performance last season. To be fair, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson did play like All-Pros. Nonetheless, Barkley had one of the “best RB performances” of all time!
I don’t believe that the former Giants RB is cursed because he’s on the Madden cover. It isn’t the same as spilling the salt on vacation. Barkley is still 28 years old, so he certainly has some gas left in the tank. It’s exciting to see not only an OPOY race between Barkley and other skill players, but it’s pleasing to see a RB race between Barkley and the likes of Derrick Henry. Of course, it was recently reported that the comedian Adam Sandler would include Henry in a film if he runs for 2k yards. If Henry or Barkley can win OPOY again, I expect one of them to have punched a ticket to Canton.
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