Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong for the Washington Commanders early in their game against the Philadelphia Eagles. That's despite getting a huge boost when quarterback Jalen Hurts went out of the game.
Fortunately for the Eagles, they have Saquon Barkley.
Hurts went back to the locker room in the first quarter and was evaluated for a concussion after falling hard on the cold Northwest Stadium field following a scramble. This was a beneficial development for the Commanders given how well the former Oklahoma standout started the contest.
Kenny Pickett came in for Hurts. Things looked promising for the 2022 first-round selection initially, making a couple of completions that also included a short touchdown throw to wide receiver A.J. Brown to increase Philadelphia's advantage. But as has been the case throughout his career, a mistake didn't take much longer to arrive.
Commanders' defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. baited Pickett perfectly. His primary resource was Frankie Luvu, who faked going outside before moving right in front of Brown for the pick.
Commanders had no answer for Saquon Barkley early in Week 16
Barkley was there to save the day.
He'd already scored and secured a couple of nice gains before breaking off a stunning touchdown run to halt Washington's newly-acquired momentum in the blink of an eye. Barkley spotted the seam, burst clear, and nobody on the Commanders' defense laid a glove on him before reaching the end zone.
Over 100 rushing yards in...
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 22, 2024
*checks notes*
THE FIRST QUARTER!@saquon | #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/bkzqjvTQ7i
Embarrassing doesn't come close. Especially considering everyone in the stadium knew exactly where the football was going.
Pickett's presence under center meant the Eagles were going to lean on Barkley more than ever. Just why the defense didn't recognize this and adjust accordingly is anyone's guess. But they paid a heavy price for their incompetence.
The Commanders seemed more than happy to give Barkley a helping hand toward history. He's still got Eric Dickerson's all-time rushing record in his sights, so gaining 109 yards and two scores in the first quarter got him a lot closer.
This was absolute malpractice from the Commanders. Barkley's taken the league by storm in 2024. He's among the leading candidates for NFL MVP and a shoo-in for NFL Offensive Player of the Year if he doesn't get the top distinction. Letting him dictate proceedings like this early in the game was unacceptable.
Barkley almost eclipsed 1,800 rushing yards thanks to his sensational start. Washington's defense had no answer — a clueless opening to proceedings that left them in a huge hole.