It’s no secret that the NFL MVP award is very difficult to earn. Lots of players perform very well throughout the season and are not even finalists for this award. On top of that, over the past 15 years, 14 of the winners have played at the quarterback position. Most fans would agree that there is positional bias in this award, meaning that the award will most likely be given to a quarterback, because they play the most important position. This quarterback-dominated award makes it very difficult for other positions to be able to win despite a worthy performance.
There has not been very many conversations about another non-quarterback position winning this award until recently. Saquon Barkley has been on an absolute tear recently. Running through opponents week by week, putting up amazing stats every week. Barkley is on pace to break the single-season rushing record, and he has the most yards from scrimmage in a single game since the last player to win MVP as a non-quarterback, Adrian Peterson, who was also a running back. Saquon Barkley is also doing things we’ve never seen before, such as his reverse, no-look hurdle which, in all likelihood, will win the play of the year award.
Because of all of these accomplishments and records that might be broken, Saquon Barkley’s presence has been a huge help to this Philadelphia Eagles team. With the addition of Barkley, the Eagles have been able to run the ball way more efficiently. This has opened up the passing game for Jalen Hurts, allowing their offense to become less predictable and more of a dual threat, with teams fearing not only the pass game but also the run game. The Eagles record has also benefited, looking to clinch a playoff berth already in week 14, which is very rare.
Even with all of this, Barkley is not the favorite to win the award, but is in contention and in the top 5 of candidates. However, with the combination of his performance and how much he has benefited his team, Saquon Barkley is someone who I would absolutely argue should be able to win the MVP. In my opinion, he has done enough that he should not only be considered for it but potentially win it.
