Saquon Barkley Broke Bettors' Hearts With Selfless Move in Final Minute of Win

Barkley slid instead of running for a sure touchdown late in the Eagles' win over the Packers.
Barkley rushed for 119 yards on 25 carries against the Green Bay Packers.
Barkley rushed for 119 yards on 25 carries against the Green Bay Packers. / Via Fo

Bettors across the world have to be furious with Saquon Barkley.

Late in Sunday's wild-card matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers, Barkley had a chance to run almost unimpeded into the end zone but opted to kneel down instead. Barkley set things up so the Eagles could run out the clock and secure the win.

Philadelphia led Green Bay 22-10 with 1:09 left in the game. The Eagles faced second-and-6 from their own 24-yard line when quarterback Jalen Hurts handed the ball to Barkley and he burst through the line for 17 yards and likely could have run all the way into the end zone. Instead, as he broke free, Barkley slid down, giving himself up in the process.

Unfortunately for the gambling community, Barkley was the most bet anytime touchdown scorer in the game. He went scoreless because he gave himself up in that moment and allowed his team to run the clock out.

The Eagles kneeled on the ball once and took their 22-10 win into the divisional round.

Barkley finished the day with 119 yards on 25 rushes, while adding two catches for four yards. Notably, he had zero touchdowns.


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Ryan Phillips
RYAN PHILLIPS

Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.