Saquon Barkley #26 of the Philadelphia Eagles runs off the field after defeating the Dallas Cowboys 41-7 at Lincoln Financial Field (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Although Saquon Barkley didn't break Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing mark of 2,105 yards, New Orleans Saints great and former Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush still believes he should win MVP.
The Philadelphia Eagles running back was on pace to break Dickerson's 40-year-old rushing record, entering Week 18 with a total of 2,005 yards. He needed just 101 rushing yards against the 3-14 the New York Giants to break the record. However, head coach Nick Sirianni made the decision to sit Barkley.
Although Barkley won't be able to lay claim to the record, Bush – a former running back – believes the Eagles veteran should still win the MVP award over the favorites, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson.
"I'm going to go with Saquon. 2,000 yards is hard as hell, especially in this era right now in football where teams are just not running the football as much like that anymore," says Bush in a one-on-one interview with RG on behalf of his partnership with Tostitos. "I love seeing the Eagles get back to that run game because I think that's so important. I think that's also an important recipe for success."
There's no doubt in Bush's mind that if Barkley had broken the record, he should be voted the MVP. However, there's one prominent player and MVP candidate that Bush would rule out, the Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Burrow.
"If Saquon broke that record, he definitely deserves it," said Bush.
"I think he definitely deserves to be in the conversation. He's somebody who I think can definitely win it. I would also put Lamar Jackson in there. I'm sorry, I have to take Joe Burrow out. If you don't make the playoffs bro, you don't get in this MVP conversation."
From a pure passing standpoint, Burrow is having the best season of any quarterback. The 28-year-old quarterback has 43 touchdowns, 4,918 passing yards and 460 completions – which all lead the NFL.
However, the Bengals won't be going to the playoffs, missing out on the final spot in the AFC with a 9-8 record.
"I know a lot of people have said, 'Oh man, he's playing at a high level, he's throwing this many touchdowns.' That's all great and I love that, but you have to be in the playoffs," said Bush. "That's important for the MVP conversation – and really for any MVP conversation – you should at least be in the playoffs. I think it's Saquon, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen. Those are the three that stick out to me and I also like Jayden Daniels as a rookie."
Bush has a point when it comes to NFL offenses being more reliant on the passing game and the quarterback than ever before. Quarterbacks are averaging 217.6 passing yards, 21.4 completions and a 92.3 passer rating during the 2024 season. Compared to the 2003 season, quarterbacks were averaging 200.4 yards, 18.9 completions and a 78.3 passer rating.
Break the Mold
What further hurts Barkley's cause is that the past 11 MVP winners have been quarterbacks, with just one running back – Adrian Peterson in 2012 – emerging as an MVP since the 2007 season.
In other words, it's a quarterback-driven award.
"There's a ton of great running backs out here who can help you," Bush continued to say. "I'm happy to see that Derrick Henry and Saquon are rushing the football for a ton of yards. They're a big focal point in the offense every week, they're breaking through tackles. They're really setting the tone for these games and that's so important to have."
While Barkley probably won't win the MVP award – he's considered the third betting favorite after Allen and Jackson – Bush loves how Barkley has brought value back to the running back position, which has been devalued over the past two decades.
"I love seeing the Eagles get back to that run game because I think that's so important," said Bush. "I think that's also an important recipe for success. I know we're used to sticking to this trend where teams like to throw the football all over the place, offensive coordinators trying to throw the football.
"But when we won a Super Bowl, we won a Super Bowl that year because we were running the football well," Bush continued to say. "We were running the football well and at a high level. When you get to the playoffs, you have to be able to run the football well on the road."
DJ Siddiqi
