Eagles' $42,000,000 star reveals why he was 'so mad' at Saquon Barkley's 1st TD vs Commanders

Few running backs have had a more eventful year than Saquon Barkley. The Eagles star came agonizingly close to toppling Eric Dickerson's regular-season rushing yards total of 2,105 yards. In any case, he will enter the Super Bowl in New Orleans just 30 yards short of Terrell Davis's single-season rushing record of 2,476 yards which includes the Broncos' 1998 playoff run when they repeated as Super Bowl champions.

In the NFC title game against the Washington Commanders, it didn't take all that long for Barkley to get his first touchdown of the afternoon. While the Eagles swiftly piled up a four-point lead early in the first quarter, one man who had mixed feelings about Barkley going all the way to the end zone on the Eagles' first drive is cornerback Darius Slay.

“I was so excited he scored but then again I was so mad that he scored so fast. We just had a 17-play drive like he’s gonna send us back out there," Slay said on the Richard Sherman Podcast.

"Seven minutes off the clock, I’m out there, I just hit the water. I’m looking up and it’s a tud. I’m going to celebrate but I’m like 'Slay save the energy, we gotta go back out there.'"

Slay, who signed a three-year, $42 million deal to stay with the Eagles, showered further praise on Barkley.

“Ain’t nobody seen no running back like this. He could damn near rush for 2,000 every year behind this O-line.

“Man, look. We call him Black Jesus around here.”

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Super Bowl LIX: Eagles, Saquon Barkley offered a shot at redemption

Things didn't go the Eagles' way the last time they faced off against Patrick Mahomes' Chiefs with the Lombardi Trophy on the line. That game, like most of the Chiefs' games this year, was a one-score game that ended 38-35 in the Chiefs' favor. Jalen Hurts managed to outduel Mahomes but the Eagles' defense just couldn't survive a 17-point onslaught in the fourth quarter.

This time around, however, the Eagles have Vic Fangio's defense to call on. Fangio's unit has arguably been one of the most impressive defenses in the playoffs this year with the likes of Jalen Carter, Reed Blankenship, Quinyon Mitchell and Darius Slay all pulling their weight.

They also have Barkley who's a significant upgrade over Kenneth Gainwell and Miles Sanders.