5x All-Pro Luke Kuechly lays down game plan to take down Saquon Barkley ahead of Commanders-Eagles NFC Championship game

One of the biggest weapons for the Philadelphia Eagles has been the production that running back Saquon Barkley has provided. He is in the midst of arguably the greatest season ever for a running back in his first year with the Philadelphia Eagles and is a key cog to the team being two wins away from their second Lombardi Trophy.

While appearing on "Up & Adams", former NFL All-Pro Luke Kuechly explained how he would attempt to slow down Saquon Barkley.

"I think how you attack Saquon is really important, in the sense of, if you let him speed you up and slow you down, and he gets you to slow your feet down, he's going to be able to stop and start substantially faster than you are. So kind of the approach when you play a guy like this as a linebacker is trust your angle the football run through his hip and make him make a drastic cut."

Despite the idea, Kuechly made it known that if the defender does not go and attack, it is going to be extremely difficult to have a chance to slow him down.

"But if you sit and you let him make moves on you, and you get passive in the hole, that's when he's dangerous. Go attack him. Get downhill, attack his hip, trust your angle and make him make that drastic cut. If he makes you miss, it's okay. We just need him to turn it back to the rest of the defense."

Defenses as a whole have had difficulty slowing him down as he is a finalist for this season's MVP Award as he has 345 rushing attempts for 2,005 yards (5.8 yards per carry) with 13 rushing touchdowns in the regular season. In his two playoff games, he has 51 carries for 324 yards (6.4 yards per attempt) with a pair of rushing touchdowns.

How has Saquon Barkley done against the Washington Commanders this season?

The Washington Commanders are no strangers to Saquon Barkley as they have been in the same division since he was drafted second overall by the New York Giants. However, just like against everyone else this season, Barkley has just been a significant force against the Washington defense.

In the two games they have played against the Commanders in the regular season, Barkley has 55 rushing attempts for 296 yards (5.4 yards per rush) with four rushing touchdowns. He also added two catches on four targets out of the backfield for 52 yards. It is going to be intriguing to see how coach Dan Quinn attempts to slow him down.