Eagles’ Saquon Barkley puts league on notice: ‘We’re gonna burn you’
Running back warns what will happen if opponents don't focus on him
From The Reporter: https://tinyurl.com/4k3e8jwj
PHILADELPHIA — The Eagles are sticking to the script this week, even as emotions from February’s Super Bowl linger.
Coach Nick Sirianni acknowledged that revisiting film of the win over Kansas City “can always bring emotion back,” but said it’s simply part of preparation. Running back Saquon Barkley echoed that message Thursday, framing this Sunday’s rematch as a fresh fight.
“It’s a new year, a new team,” Barkley said in the locker room at NovaCare Complex. “You go back and watch some of that, but we’re a different team than last year and they’re a different team than last year. We just have to trust our keys and our fundamentals.”
Barkley knows the Chiefs’ defense well after being held to 57 yards in New Orleans, and he struggled again in last week’s opener when Dallas borrowed some of those schemes to limit him to 60. Instead of frustration, he has turned it into fuel.
“Any time you go against a defense like this, especially coached by Spags — that was actually my first time playing against them — you have to know what you’re getting yourself into,” he said, referencing Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. “They blitz a lot, they make a lot of plays, they’re well-coached. They’ve got a lot of talent over there, so I’m excited for the challenge.
“At the end of the day, more times than not, it comes down to us and what we do. Dallas did a really good job, but that’s going to be the theme for this year: You’d be a fool if you’re gonna let us walk into whatever stadium, whether it’s the Linc or your stadium, and your focal point’s not going to be stopping the run. If that’s the case, we’re gonna burn you for it.”
Barkley put the responsibility on his own shoulders. “We’ve got to do a better job with the little things, including myself. I know it starts with me, especially in the running game.”
The wound hasn’t healed for the Chiefs, who were buried 24-0 by halftime and 34-0 late in the third quarter before putting up some cosmetic scores in the 40-22 loss at the Superdome. The defeat ended their bid for a third straight championship and gave Patrick Mahomes and Co. plenty of motivation for the rematch, even if it’s only in the regular season.
“I watch every game. You have to learn from it,” Mahomes told local media in Kansas City. “It sucks that you lose the game, but in order to progress and be better next time, you have to watch and learn from it.”
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, as Barkley and the team have done for months, reiterated the mantra of turning the page.
“We’re playing a new team. We’re a new team, and we just want to approach it with that, be diligent every single day in our prep,” Hurts said. “They have their leaders, and they’ve always had their core, and they’ve always been renowned for being disruptive and being able to score the ball and just playing a really good team football. And so it’s a real respected organization.”
Spagnuolo believes Hurts is among the best quarterbacks in the NFL and pointed to his added dimension of running.
“The guy we’re getting ready to play this week is elite at that,” Spagnuolo said. “We’ll talk until we’re blue in the face about pass rush lanes, containing him, and we have some things we hope take that away.
“He can beat you with his legs, brains and arm.”
NOTES: TE Dallas Goedert (knee) didn’t practice for the second straight day. Also out were QB Tanner McKee (right thumb) and RB Will Shipley (oblique). … T Cameron Williams (shoulder) was limited. … G Landon Dickerson (back) and EDGE Jalyx Hunt (hip) were full participants. … For the Chiefs, WR Jalen Royals (knee) didn’t practice but WR Xavier Worthy (shoulder) returned as a limited participant. … Sunday will be the second time the Eagles and Chiefs have faced each other the season after meeting in the Super Bowl (2023 after SB LVII). The Eagles won that game 21-17 in Kansas City. … Sirianni is 2-2 vs. the Chiefs during his tenure here, with losses in 2021 and the 2022 SB. He and the Eagles are going for their third straight win over K.C. … The Birds are 18-7 on the road since 2022.
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Follow Christiaan DeFranco on X at @the_defranc.