It’s been 12 years since a running back last won the NFL Most Valuable Player Award. Adrian Peterson received 61 percent of the vote after achieving the rare feat of reaching 2,000 rushing yards in a season. Peterson tallied 2,097 yards and 12 touchdowns, defeating Peyton Manning, who eventually earned his fifth MVP trophy the following season.
Another quarterback could win the prestigious individual honor this season, as Saquon Barkley has been playing on a different level for the Philadelphia Eagles. In Week 12, he won the National Football Conference Offensive Player of the Week after tallying 255 rushing yards and two touchdowns. In addition to establishing a franchise single-game record, he added four catches for 47 yards.
That output improved Barkley’s MVP odds, as a recent Fox Sports NFL tweet shows. The sports network had Barkley ranked third with +475 odds. Only Josh Allen (+150) and Lamar Jackson (+250) have better odds than him, while Jared Goff (+700), Patrick Mahomes (+1300), and Justin Herbert (+2200) complete the top six.
Barkley’s Week 12 performance against the Los Angeles Rams is a coronation of his excellence throughout the season. That game marked the seventh time he reached the 100-yard mark this season. He had 176 yards and a touchdown against his former team, the New York Giants, and had 159 versus the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The running back from Penn State leads the league in rushing yards (1,392) and tied for third in rushing touchdowns (10). Barkley can add to that tally in the Eagles’ Week 13 game against Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens.
-Lance Fernandez