Saquon Barkley shines in prime time as fellow stars look on: ‘The New York Giants owe you an apology’

It turns out that 26 was the lucky number for the Eagles in their pivotal win over the Washington Commanders in prime-time on Thursday night. To stay atop the NFC East, the Birds bested the Commanders, 26-18, led by a dominant performance from No. 26 Saquon Barkley, who finished with two touchdowns and 146 rushing yards on 26 carries. It was the Eagles sixth straight win, and proved to be the perfect birthday gift to DeVonta Smith who turned — you guessed it — 26 years old.

The Eagles head into Week 12 in first place in the division after a late fourth-quarter offensive surge led by Barkley and an impressive defensive showing that limited quarterback Jayden Daniels and the Commanders. With the world watching on prime-time television, Barkley channeled his inner “Mamba Mentality,” as he donned the Kobe Bryant “Mamba” earrings.

It’s safe to say Barkley lived up to the Mamba Mentality on Thursday night, eclipsing 1,000 rushing yards on the season and moving ahead of Derrick Henry for the NFL lead in rushing yards — Barkley also leads the NFL in total yards from scrimmage.

This makes Barkley just the second player in franchise history to reach the 1,000-plus marker through the first 10 games (LeSean McCoy, 2011). Barkley’s performance in front of a national audience caught the attention of many in the sports world, including current and former Dallas Cowboys players Micah Parsons and Dez Bryant.

Barkley took over in the fourth quarter with two touchdowns spaced only 20 seconds apart — with a Daniels interception in between — with less than five minutes remaining, icing the game for the Birds with a 23-yard scamper.

» READ MORE: 'Is this what we’re going to do?': Jalen Hurts trolls ESPN anchor following Eagles' win

This is just the latest stellar performance from Barkley after signing a three-year, $37.75 million contract with the Eagles after six seasons with the New York Giants. The star running back has four games with 140 rushing yards or more and his production through the first 10 games this season is on par with what the Eagles got out of D’Andre Swift and Miles Sanders each of the last two years — over an entire season.

So of course, former Eagles defensive end Chris Long — and Eagles fans at the game — couldn’t help but troll the running back’s former team after another dynamic performance.

Barkley’s master class once again had NFL fans in awe, including future NBA Hall of Famer LeBron James. This isn’t the first time he caught the attention of the Los Angeles Lakers star this season. James also posted about Barkley’s backward hurdle against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Eagles now have six wins in a row and improved to 8-2 on Thursday night. There’s no doubt that Barkley has been the catalyst for an outstanding season so far. But what are some of the other reasons why the Eagles are doing so well?

» READ MORE: Saquon Barkley brings a young Eagles fan to tears before his big night against the Commanders

According to former Philadelphia and Washington wide receiver DeSean Jackson, it’s because of him.

“I think, honestly, I’m the reason kind of why they’re playing good,” Jackson said of the Eagles on his podcast, The 25/10 Show. “I lit some you-know-what up under them. I lit some fire under them. I feel like I was being very [critical] on them, you know what I’m saying. And when I speak my language, I feel like sometimes guys listen. My boy C.J. Gardner-Johnson, you know my boy tapped in like, ‘[Expletive] Jack, that’s how you feel?’ Like, yeah, and he was like, ‘You know what? You kind of right.’ So I feel like as much as they might hit you and say they’re mad, they still listening and tune in because you know that they got to get on their [expletive].”

But Jackson’s cohost — the 25 to his 10 — and former Eagles running back LeSean McCoy has a better reason for the team’s success.