Saquon Barkley isn’t just writing a spectacular chapter in his NFL career, he’s rewriting his entire story.

The New York Giants let Barkley walk away. Now the superstar running back is putting together an MVP-caliber season for the Philadelphia Eagles, setting a franchise record with 255 yards rushing in a 37-20 rout of the Rams on Sunday night.

“I’m grateful to be here, grateful for the fresh start,” said Barkley, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 draft. “A big reason why I wanted to come here … is I think this is a place is where I can rewrite my story. I feel like I can show everyone what type of player I can be and what I’m meant to be.”

There was no doubt against the Rams, with Barkley ripping off a 70-yard touchdown run on the first play of the third quarter and a 72-yard touchdown run in the fourth.

It was the ninth-best single-game rushing performance in NFL history, and the first time a player has had two touchdown runs of at least 70 yards in the same game since Maurice Jones-Drew in 2009.

The psychological effect of those long runs on a defense?

“It hurts their spirit, man,” said fellow Eagles running back Kenny Gainwell. “It kills them.”

And the Rams faced two of those heartbreaking walks. It might have taken all the air out of SoFi Stadium, except there were so many Eagles fans in the stands.

At one point, in between his long runs, he looked at the circular video board to watch a replay of his carry. He caught a glimpse of his rushing total, which at 173 yards was 16 shy of his personal best, and immediately regretted looking. It was the equivalent of informing a pitcher that he is throwing a no-hitter.

Immediately, Barkley began to push that out of his mind.

“I looked up to see where I was and literally said, ‘Man, I wish I never saw that,’” he said. “That’s just the devil talking. I just kept my head down, kept trusting the system and made it a long one.”

Philadelphia’s Saquon Barkley hands the football to an Eagles fan after his first of two touchdown runs in the second half.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

That personal figure of 189 meters seems almost strange in retrospect. Barkley shattered that, easily eclipsing the Eagles franchise record of 217 yards set by LeSean McCoy in 2013. Additionally, Barkley had the most yards rushing against the Rams, two more than Dallas’ DeMarco Murray in 2011.

In the final tally, Barkley ran for 9.8 yards per carry and generated a staggering 302 yards of offense.

“On the first play of the second half, he made a cut that I don’t think anyone else could make,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said, referring to Barkley’s first long touchdown run. “He just stopped on a dime … he put his left foot in the ground, went around the edge and then just accelerated.”

Like Sirianni, Barkley praised his blocks and invoked one of his favorite quotes: “It’s hard to be great without the greatness of others.”

The Eagles’ Saquon Barkley, who ran for a franchise-record 255 yards, gets further than Rams safety Quentin Lake in the third quarter.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Since returning to Los Angeles in 2016, the Rams have yet to win a home game against the Eagles, holding an 0-4 lead. Philadelphia, meanwhile, has won seven straight games and sits squarely atop the NFC East with a 9-2 record that is second in the NFC behind Detroit’s 10-1.

Barkley ranks right up there with quarterbacks Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes as one of the leading MVP candidates. The last non-quarterback to win this honor was running back Adrian Peterson in 2012.

“We’ll think about that when the season is over,” Barkley said. “I love being in that conversation, it’s cool and all, but it’s a team sport.”

Barkley spent six seasons with the Giants, yet five of his top 10 performances have come this season.

“I think everyone knows what kind of player he is,” Eagles tackle Lane Johnson said. “He’s had some ups and downs in his career, but now I think he’s having a year where people can see what kind of talent he has. For someone of that size who can do that, it’s fun to block.”

Barkley is still writing his season and rewriting his legacy.