It was tough sledding.

Through three quarters on Thursday night, Saquon Barkley averaged just 3.5 yards per carry and it looked like it just wasn’t going to be one of those special performances for the Eagles’ very special running back.

But Barkley never lost confidence that he would break it open.

And then he did it.

“When things weren’t going well, he said, ‘Come on, keep attacking, O-line, keep attacking, it’s going to break open for us, it’s going to break open,’” veteran right tackle Lane Johnson said. “And eventually that happened. That’s what kind of man he is. If things don’t go well, I think that really tells you a lot about someone. And he never doubted.”

Barkley went off for 76 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to help the Eagles beat the Commanders 26-18 in a key NFC East battle on Thursday Night Football.

Give Kellen Moore credit for keeping the run going. Give the offensive line credit for the blocking. But give Barkley credit for never losing confidence. Because that went a long way, according to his offensive linemen Thursday night.

When asked what Barkley is like when things aren’t going well in the running game, Jordan Mailata said the star running back is “very encouraging.”

“His will and desire are visible 24/7,” Mailata said. “It doesn’t stop, it doesn’t waver. He is very encouraging, always talking to us, always communicating about what he sees and what he wants. And as an offensive line, you love that. Just the communication side, the honesty. And it’s Saquon Barkley, man, no matter what he says, you say, ‘Yes sir.’

Barkley finished with 146 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns on 26 carries and he added 2 catches for 52 yards.

Through 10 games this season, Barkley has surpassed 100 rushing yards in six games. That’s the most 100+ yard games ever for an Eagles who already have 10 games under their belt.

And the crazy thing is that on Thursday evening it looked like that wasn’t going to happen.

Quarters 1-3: 20 carries, 70 yards (3.5)

Quarter 4: 6 carries, 76 yards (12.7), 2 TD

Barkley blasted touchdown runs of 23 and 39 yards in the fourth quarter. He is the first Eagles player to have two touchdown runs of more than 20 yards in the same game since LeSean McCoy in the Snow Bowl against the Lions in 2013.

And Barkley also reached 20+ mph on both touchdown runs, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. He now has six such runs this season, tops in the NFL.

“Eventually, after a while,” Johnson said, “it will break open for you.”

Although Barkley is not a captain for the 2024 Eagles after joining the team as a free agent, he clearly has strong leadership qualities. The Eagles have been seeing them all season.

“I think the thing that continues to impress me is that every time we go to the sideline and something isn’t working or something is working, (Barkley) is always there talking to us,” center Cam Jurgens said. “We’re trying to figure out how to get it working and what’s going on. It’s constant communication. It’s great. There are a lot of little things we could have done better in that first half. We just kept going with it.”

While Barkley ultimately scored those two long touchdown runs, it was actually Kenny Gainwell who got the run game going in the fourth quarter. Gainwell had three straight runs in the fourth quarter for a total of 34 yards to help set up the Eagles’ go-ahead touchdown.

As a team, the Eagles had 111 rushing yards through the first three quarters, but added 117 in the fourth, giving them a 228-yard performance on the night. They have now surpassed 200 rushing yards three times during their six-game winning streak since the farewell game.

What’s the key to the strong rushing performance in the fourth quarter?

“Honestly, I think it’s just a will,” Mailata said. “You have to want it more than the other team. I think it comes down to that. We could talk about the X’s and the O’s, but we always talk about the must-have moments. It comes down to wanting. Do you want to do it? Do you want that? I think we showed on film that we wanted more.

No one wanted it more than Barkley. And he never doubted it would come.

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