Saquon Barkley backward hurdles his way into becoming the centerpiece of the Eagles offense

There were no words to describe what Saquon Barkley had done. Even the most apt and immediate description — “a backward hurdle” — couldn’t do it justice. A video replay on loop fails to capture his athletically freakish feat.

You just had to be there.

Sure, millions watched Barkley moonleap — better, but not quite — over Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jarrian Jones on live television. But to see the running back spontaneously pull it off in person, to hear the reaction from fans at Lincoln Financial Field, and to glimpse the exuberance of the Eagles sideline was a moment that could only be captured in the mind’s eye.

Barkley had done something no one had even done before and it was almost all for naught. The Eagles nearly coughed up a 22-point lead to the hapless Jaguars, but few will remember an eventual 28-23 win on Sunday years from now. It was that uninspiring.

What will last was Barkley’s superhuman no-look hurdle. It defied description. He attributed it to divine intervention and, well, why not?

“I got to give credit to God, I’m not going to lie,” Barkley said. “I feel like — not in a cocky way — I do believe God blessed me. He blesses all of us. But I feel like God gave me an ability to play this position and gave me some instincts.

“Sometimes you got to let go and let God and your instincts take over.”

» READ MORE: Saquon Barkley and DeVonta Smith’s talent rescued the Eagles against the Jaguars

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni has taken a similar approach with his offense since the bye. He has let go of the idea of having a pass-heavy attack led by quarterback Jalen Hurts and has let Barkley and the run game take over.

Hurts will be elemental to the Eagles’ success or failure, of course. He’s been more efficient during the current four-game winning streak, and there will come a time when his arm will have to shoulder the load. The quarterback position is just too vital in the modern NFL for it to be secondary.

But Barkley has become the centerpiece of the Eagles offense. On Sunday, he rushed 27 times for 159 yards and a touchdown and caught three passes for 40 yards and another score.

Barkley is averaging only two more touches per game in the last four games vs. the first four. But the Eagles have emphasized having more of a run-heavy offense — with backup running back Kenneth Gainwell also getting more carries — after offensive linemen Lane Johnson, Jordan Mailata, and Landon Dickerson pushed for it over the last month.

“I want to [bleeping] win,” Dickerson said when asked why they went to Sirianni and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. “Simple as that. Whatever it takes to win.”

In this narrative, Sirianni and Moore get credit for being open to change. But they obviously knew something had to change after the Eagles opened the season 2-2 with Hurts having seven turnovers.

The overall run-pass ratio since the bye tilts heavily in favor of the run. But those numbers can be a little misleading because the Eagles held double-digit leads over the New York Giants and Cincinnati Bengals the previous two weeks.

The first-half disparity between the run-pass ratio in the first four games (34% to 66%) vs. the last four (48% to 52%) shows how Moore’s play-calling has been committed to establishing the ground game. And while it has taken a quarter to get moving at times, or it hasn’t always looked pretty, the results have spoken for themselves.

“Barkley is a big reason. Kenny’s a big reason,” Dickerson said. “Jalen on the read options — big reason. There’s a lot of reasons why. But if it works, ain’t no reason to mess with it.”

In the first four games, Hurts averaged 39 drops per game. In the last four, he’s averaged just 26 drops. He deserves accolades for not having a turnover since the bye. He’s had some amazing throws and runs over that period.

Against the Jaguars, Hurts completed 18 of 24 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns and rushed 13 times for 67 yards and a touchdown. He wasn’t perfect. He missed some receivers and some throws and took a few unnecessary sacks.

But the Eagles’ current formula is one that doesn’t revolve the offense almost entirely around Hurts. Barkley has as much to do with that as anything.

“We knew he was special,” Sirianni said. “I think when you’re around him on a daily basis it’s safe to say, yes, that he’s even more special than I could have even imagined.”

Barkley has had his sloppy moments this season, as well. There was the dropped pass late in the Atlanta Falcons loss. There was a run out of bounds short of the sticks against the Cleveland Browns. He had another drop against the Jaguars, and his third-quarter fumble — however dubious the call — brought the Jaguars back into the picture.

» READ MORE: Eagles grades: Saquon Barkley, linebackers earn high marks; Nick Sirianni not so much

“No excuses. I got to be better in that situation,” Barkley said. “That play kind of sparked Jacksonville.”

A slide short of the sticks during the four-minute offense could have also cost the Eagles. But Barkley did so many positives things that a few errors can be forgotten.

There was an over-the-shoulder catch for a 20-yard touchdown. There was a 19-yard touchdown run on a third-and-17 draw. There were carries when Barkley motored into the Jaguars secondary. And there were countless rushes when he picked up yards after contact.

But it was his second-quarter catch on third-and-6 – which simply reads, “J.Hurts pass short left to S.Barkley to JAX 30 for 14 yards” on the stat sheet — that will live in memories and on career highlight reels for decades to come.

Even before his hurdle, he broke cornerback Tyson Campbell’s tackle attempt. He then spun away from linebacker Devin Lloyd. Barkley could have just let himself get tackled with the first down secured and his back to the Jaguars defense. It was probably the safe play.

But he elevated, separated his legs, and vaulted over the diving Jones.

“It was the best play I’ve ever seen,” Sirianni said.

Barkley pulled off something similar as a Penn State sophomore. “But it wasn’t as cool,” he said. During the summer, he said he told safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and cornerback Kelee Ringo that he might try it again in the NFL.

Once may be enough. The Eagles can’t afford to lose their workhorse. He doesn’t have as many touches through eight games as he did two years ago with the Giants. But Barkley, who needs just 75 yards to eclipse 1,000 on the ground for the season, is on pace for a career-high 333 carries.

“My body feels good,” he said. “I kind of got banged up a little bit today. Not gonna get too into what happened. Nothing crazy, just a little TLC this week, and I’ll be ready to go.”

And everyone else will be there to watch in speechless awe.