Packers-Eagles Key Matchup: Unstoppable Saquon Barkley vs. Immovable Defense

Eagles running back Saquon Barkley had one of the greatest individual seasons in NFL history. The Packers’ run defense, however, was superb down the stretch.

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs during the first half against the Green Bay Packers in Brazil. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – It’s called the “Irresistible Force” paradox.

It’s what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object.

Or, in layman’s terms, it’s Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley running at the Green Bay Packers’ defense in Sunday’s NFC wild-card game.

Barkley led the NFL with 2,005 rushing yards. He topped 100 yards in 11 of his 16 games, and finished second in the NFL in yards per carry and yards after contact. He led the NFL with 46 runs of 10-plus yards and was second with 17 runs of 20-plus yards – more than 29 teams, including the Packers.

The Packers’ run defense had been defenseless for the first five years of coach Matt LaFleur’s tenure, ranking last in the league in yards allowed per carry during that span.

This year, the Packers finished seventh in rushing yards allowed per game (99.4) and rushing yards allowed per attempt (3.96).

“It’s definitely been the most detailed that we've been playing the run,” defensive tackle Kenny Clark said this week.

While Green Bay’s pass rush has run hot and cold, the play against the run has gone from a simmer to a full boil.

The Packers gave up four individual 100-yard rushing games in the first seven weeks, starting with Barkley’s 109 yards in Week 1 and culminated by Joe Mixon’s 115 yards – a season high against the Packers – in Week 7.

That’s it, though. Over the final 10 games, no running back rushed for even 80 yards.

“I would say our approach frontside of plays,” defensive line coach Jason Rebrovich said a couple weeks ago about the key from his perspective. “I think we’re getting some knockback at the point of attack, which is now making running backs have to bow out even further or closer to the surest tackler in the world, which we’ve said before is the sideline. Or, if it cuts back, we’ve had pretty decent pursuit on the backside.”

As Rebrovich was quick to point out, “stopping the run is not just about the D-line.”

That’s obviously true against the Eagles. 

It takes all 11. Linebacker Edgerrin Cooper’s athleticism and ferocity have helped lift the defense to new heights. The secondary has contributed, too, whether it’s rookie Javon Bullard setting an edge in the slot or Xavier McKinney missing only two tackles against the run all season.  

“The more and more we can push the ball lateral to where the calvary sets in, the less yards they’re going to get,” Rebrovich said.

Because of injuries, four linebackers have played a lot of snaps. Taking the lead from fiery position coach Anthony Campanile, all four have been excellent against the run, though Cooper has brought a new dimension.

Of 72 linebackers who have played 185 snaps against the run (Cooper’s number), his average tackle against the run has limited the play to 2.5 yards, according to Pro Football Focus. That’s eighth-best among linebackers. His run-stop percentage is second in that group, with a “stop” aligning perfectly with Green Bay’s win/loss grading system.

“I definitely think there’s always things you can do better, but I think these guys are totally bought into what we’re teaching,” Campanile said. “I firmly believe that there’s a progression each play. Your eyes, your feet, your hands, and then there’s got to be a violent finish.

“That’s how every football play should start and end. If your eyes are right and your feet are right, you’ll get there, and your hands will buy you time. That’s some of the fundamental things about defending the run. Those are essential. Your body position, where your feet are, not compromising your base, playing with great hands and technique, pad level. Some people talk about those things, but you’ve got to drill those things every day, almost like to the point where it’s a martial art. Literally, you’re always in good position to destruct blocks.”

A new scheme led to a bit of a slow start. Barkley had two rushing touchdowns in Week 1, the Colts’ Jonathan Taylor averaged 8.6 yards per carry in Week 2 and the Rams’ Kyren Williams rushed for nine first downs in Week 5.

However, week by week, Green Bay has been tougher and tougher. In the seven games since the bye:

- No running back has rushed for more than four first downs.

- No running back has rushed for more than 65 yards – and it took the Bears’ D’Andre Swift 20 carries to reach that total last week.

- No running back with 10-plus carries averaged 4.0 yards per carry.

“Big plays are made with anticipation,” Campanile said. “If I line up and it’s one of two things as opposed to one of 10 things, I’m going to play a lot faster.

“That’s your job in my opinion as a coach. It’s organizing information so that players can process it and play faster. If you’re not doing that, in my opinion, you’re not doing a good job coaching. My point being, I think the guys do a great job of processing the information and eliminating plays before the snap.”

Round 2 against Barkley will be the biggest challenge of the year.

No offensive line in the NFL blocks in the run game better than Philadelphia’s front. Plus, Barkley has an elite combination of size, toughness and breakaway speed. In seven of his 16 games, Barkley didn’t just run for 100 yards. He ran for at least 147. He topped 100 yards in eight of his last 10 games.

Rather than chasing Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record last week, Barkley got the week off, so he’s going to be fresh and ready for the Packers.

“Any time you can get rest and let your body recover a little bit, it definitely helps,” he told reporters in Philadelphia this week. “It’s a good thing because we were able to put ourselves in a position where we were able to rest and get ourselves prepared for this run. The focus goes to Green Bay and the week of preparation that we’ve had. I think we’ve had a great week of preparation up to this point.”

The Packers did quite well against Barkley in Week 1. Of his 24 carries, he had negative yardage on four and 2 yards or less on 12.

For most of the game, the Packers were that immovable object. But an unstoppable force can’t be stopped forever. Barkley also had a 34-yard run and an 11-yard touchdown run.

“I don’t want to mention the team that I was just watching him against,” defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said, “but they were winning the game, winning the game, winning the game – it’s like zero points, zero points, zero points – and then they mis-fit one run and he goes for like 70.

“You’ve got to do it over and over and over, and you have to be so locked in and you have to be so detailed. If you’re supposed to stay in the C gap, you’d better stay in the C gap. And then you’ve got to do it again and again and again. And it’s hard. It’s hard to sustain that, because he will make you pay if you don’t so fast, because he’s patient, he stays square, he sees it, he can make you miss and then, when he gets on the edge, he can be gone. So, it’s the discipline to play as a team.”

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— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) January 12, 2025

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