Eagles’ Nick Sirianni Discusses RB Saquon Barkley’s Limited Goal-Line Opportunities: ‘Tough to Lose Yardage’ on QB Sneak

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Saquon Barkley is known for making big plays, but he also has a habit of getting tackled just short of the goal line. This season, Barkley has been stopped at the 1- or 2-yard line 11 times, the most in the league according to NFL Research. Many of these situations have ended with quarterback Jalen Hurts scoring on a “Brotherly Shove” touchdown.

Given the frequency with which Barkley is tackled just short of the goal line, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni was asked on Monday if he had considered letting the running back finish those plays himself.

“You always think about that,” Sirianni said. “One thing we often consider in the red zone is that a quarterback sneak is hard to lose yardage on. The worst thing you can do down there is move backwards. Falling behind the sticks makes things much tougher. You always want to stay ahead of the chains because it gets more difficult as you get closer to the goal line.”

Sirianni’s point is valid. On one of Barkley’s rare attempts from the 1-yard line, he was stuffed for a loss.

“We’ve had a lot of success with the quarterback sneak,” Sirianni added. “Jalen has scored a lot of touchdowns that way. So, while I want to be careful in how I answer this, I can say that Saquon has done a great job.”

Barkley currently ranks second in the NFL with 1,137 rushing yards and sixth with eight rushing touchdowns. He’s posting career-high averages in rushing yards per game (113.1), yards per carry (5.8), and scrimmage yards per game (134.7) in 2024 with the Eagles.

Sirianni emphasized that he regularly discusses the balance between using the “tush push” and allowing his running backs to score, but he has never had any issues with Barkley’s performance.

“He’s getting us down there,” Sirianni said. “He has eight touchdowns, and we’re excited for him. He’s playing at a high level. But Saquon is also a great teammate.”

The good news for Barkley is that his incentives are not tied to goal-line touchdowns, as NFL Network insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported over the weekend. So despite the occasional vulture of touchdowns, Barkley’s performance continues to benefit him in other ways.

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