In the “Pennsylvania State Championship” as Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin referred to Sunday’s matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Black and Gold have a dangerous, game-changing weapon they’ll have to deal with.
That would be “Mr. Barkley,” Eagles running back Saquon Barkley.
Tomlin waxed poetic about Barkley ahead of the matchup on Tuesday during his weekly press conference, and rightfully so. Barkley is having an MVP-caliber season, finding himself on pace for 2,000 rushing yards in his first season with the Eagles after signing with them in free agency following five seasons with the New York Giants.
Since landing in Philadelphia, Barkley has taken his game to another level. And he has all the attention from the Steelers centered on him, from linebacker Patrick Queen to team captain and standout defensive lineman Cameron Heyward.
On the latest episode of his podcast “Not Just Football with Cam Heyward,” the All-Pro defensive lineman spoke highly of Barkley, stating that he’s excited for the matchup with the “highlight machine” that is Barkley.
“I think there’s some similarities between them and the Ravens, but I just think this dude Saquon’s on a different level than everybody else. This dude, he’s jumping over people backwards. He’s a highlight machine every week,” Heyward said, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “It’s a full-time job. He’s running on the backfield, he’s catching outta the backfield.
“This is the most complete running back in the game right now, and we’re gonna have our hands full. But I think we’re up to the challenge.”
Barkley is indeed the most complete back in the NFL. Nobody comes close to him, and that’s largely been the case throughout his career since coming out of Penn State as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. That’s gone to another level entirely now that he’s in Philadelphia with Jalen Hurts at quarterback in coordinator Kellen Moore’s offense.
It also helps that Barkley is operating behind arguably the league’s best offensive line. It features the likes of standout left tackle Jordan Mailata, All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson, Pro Bowl guard Landon Dickerson and an emerging young center in Cam Jurgens, who took over for the future Hall of Famer in Jason Kelce this season and hasn’t missed a beat.
Fortunately for the Steelers, they have arguably the league’s best defensive line, which should make for quite the battle on Sunday.
“They have one of the best o-lines this week, and we’re one of the best d-lines. And so, what happens when an immovable object meets an unstoppable force? We’re looking forward to that task,” Heyward added.
It should be a great game between the Steelers and the Eagles. Both teams are similarly built in the trenches with an emphasis on physical football. Something has to give.
The Steelers are going to have their hands full with a great offensive line and Barkley, but Philadelphia will have its hands full with the Steelers’ defense, too. Grab your popcorn.
Check out the full episode of “Not Just Football with Cam Heyward” below.
