Saquon Barkley leads the top 8 reasons Philly sports fans should be thankful

In the spirit of the season, it’s appropriate to reflect on the things in the Philadelphia sports scene for which locals should be thankful.

It might be tough to be thankful in light of recent and current disappointments: the Sixers’ struggles this season and last due to injury and ineptness; the Eagles’ late-season collapse and their playoff embarrassment; the Phillies’ first-round playoff exit at the hands of the Mets, of all teams; and the Flyers’ latest rebuilding effort.

Step back for a minute, though, and the landscape doesn’t quite look so bleak.

Having an elite running back in Philly amplifies the player’s popularity in relation to his value. We’ve seen it with Ricky Watters, Duce Staley, Brian Westbrook, LeSean McCoy, Miles Sanders, and even De’Andre Swift. And, every year in the NFL, the running back position gets further devalued.

Enter Saquon Barkley.

Through 11 games he leads the NFL with 1,392 rushing yards, only 215 yards behind McCoy’s season mark set in 2013 in 16 games. On Sunday against the Rams he set the Eagles’ single-game rushing record with 255 yards and his 302 yards from scrimmage also was a team record. Three of his 12 touchdowns have come from at least 65 yards, and two of them from at least 70, both on Sunday. He has 12 runs of at least 20 yards and five catches of at least 18 yards, two of them for touchdowns.

Also, he hurdled a would-be tackler ... backward. It is the signature play of the NFL season.

As a bonus, he’s a superb person, a selfless teammate, and he went to Whitehall High in the Allentown area. The Eagles are 9-2, hold the No. 2 seed in the NFC, and have won seven games in a row mainly because of Barkley.

With apologies to Bryce Harper, he’s the most popular free agent to land in Philly since Pete Rose in 1979 and Moses Malone in 1982. And, with the exception of Zack Wheeler, he’s the best since them.

Saquon has been a 12-week sensation. Wheeler has been a five-year stud.

Since he arrived in Philadelphia in 2020, of the 18 pitchers who have pitched at least 700 innings, his 2.94 ERA, 59 wins, and 829⅓ innings pitched all rank second. His 1.031 walks and hits per inning pitched (WHIP), 4.81 strikeouts-to-walks ratio, and 72 home runs allowed all are third-best.

Money games? OK. Since 1921, long before integration, only Bob Gibson and Fernando Valenzuela have postseason ERAs better than Wheeler’s 2.18 among the 83 pitchers who pitched at least 50 innings.

» READ MORE: How Lane Johnson became Jalen Carter’s unlikely mentor on the Eagles

He has managed all of this pitching in the seventh-ranked hitter-friendly ballpark, according to Baseball Savant, and he’s done it with a bottom-10 defense behind him, according to FanGraphs.

He is professionalism and excellence defined.

He is the best pitcher in baseball over the last five years.

For me, the most remarkable aspect of Bryce Harper’s incredible six-year tenure as a Phillie had nothing to do with his legendary bat. It simply boggles the mind that, after just 177 starts at first base, Harper was a finalist for the National League Gold Glove. That’s how special he is.

Since arriving in Philly in 2019, his .924 OPS ranks fifth among hitters with at least 3,000 plate appearances, and he’s spent almost three years dealing with an elbow injury.

His 1.153 postseason OPS not only is the franchise record among hitters with 100 plate appearances by almost 200 points, his overall playoff OPS of 1.016 (Nationals stats included) among players with at least 150 plate appearances ranks fifth all-time behind Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, George Brett, and Carlos Beltran.

Also, since signing his $330 million contract, Harper has served as a willing face and voice of the franchise. When clubhouse leader Rhys Hoskins left via free agency last year, Harper increased his involvement as a leader.

Terrell Owens in 2004 had the best season of any Eagles receiver. Harold Carmichael had the best career, Mike Quick was a big-play machine, DeSean Jackson was the most explosive.

A.J. Brown is the best.

Since arriving in Philadelphia in 2022, Brown leads all NFL receivers with 233 receptions and a 15.8 yards-per-catch average, almost a full yard better than Justin Jefferson, who ranks second. His 3,679 receiving yards rank fourth and his 22 touchdowns rank seventh, a number that surely would be greater if the Eagles didn’t use the Tush Push quarterback sneak at the goal line so much.

With a back like Barkley on the team, it’s easy to forget that the Birds have the best receiver in franchise history on the roster, too.

After signing an eight-year, $70 million extension, TK is on pace for 96 points, which would be a career high — by 28 points. He’s the team’s best forward since Claude Giroux.

After his surprising release from his obligations in Russia, Michkov led rookies with eight goals and 17 points entering Wednesday night. Two of those goals won games in overtime. He’s the most exciting prospect since Eric Lindros.

TK is 27. Michkov is 19. The potential for the next eight years is astonishing.

Without these two, neither Barkley nor Brown makes the list. Johnson and Mailata are, at the moment, the best tackle tandem in football.

Since arriving in Philadelphia in 2013, the Eagles’ offensive line coach turned Johnson and center Jason Kelce into Hall of Fame candidates; turned Mailata, a former Australian rugby player (and closet Xmas crooner), into the No. 1 tackle in football, according to Pro Football Focus; turned second-round pick Landon Dickerson into a two-time Pro Bowl guard in his second and third seasons; and replaced Kelce, who retired, with Cam Jurgens, a third-year, second-round pick.

Those are just the highlights from this year.

Stout’s done similar work for 11½ years.

Is it too early to be thinking Steph Curry and Klay Thompson? Walt Frazier and Earl Monroe? Isaiah Thomas and Joe Dumars?

Well, yes. But it’s been a long time since the Sixers had a dangerous backcourt duo with staying power; maybe more than 40 years, back when Mo Cheeks and Andrew Toney teamed up for a title in 1983. And there hasn’t been a pair of guards in Philadelphia this happy to be doing their jobs since ... ever? They’re genuinely joyful young men, and they are infectious.

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Assume that Maxey continues to develop and McCain’s rookie surge is for real; even if they reach Damian Lillard/CJ McCollum status, Sixers fans should be thankful.