It's time to revalue running backs after Saquon Barkley caps best rushing year with Super Bowl win

It's time to revalue the devalued running back position in the NFL after Saquon Barkley's mere presence, if not his production, helped the Philadelphia Eagles dismantle the Kansas City Chiefs in one of the most lopsided Super Bowls ever.

Barkley capped a great year for free-agent running backs by hoisting the Lombardi Trophy after the Eagles' 40-22 dismantling of the Chiefs on Sunday that avenged a heartbreaking Super Bowl loss two years earlier and denied Patrick Mahomes & Co. an unprecedented third consecutive title and Pat Riley royalties for all that three-peat merchandise now headed for the dump.

Barkley, who had seven total touchdown runs of 60 yards or more in his first season with the Eagles, gained a modest 57 yards on 25 carries Sunday, and he gave props to Steve Spagnuolo's defense for slowing him down.

Barkley's biggest contribution, however, was in forcing the Chiefs to load the box with extra defenders, which freed up the likes of DeVonta Smith, A.J. Brown and Jahan Dotson to make crucial catches as Jalen Hurts threw just five incompletions while accounting for nearly 300 yards of offense and three touchdowns.

John Elway was blown out in his first three trips to the Super Bowl before capping his Hall of Fame playing career with back-to-back titles once fellow Hall of Famer Terrell Davis joined him in the Denver Broncos' backfield.

“A great running back is a quarterback's best friend,” Elway said more than once when looking back on his Super Bowl successes.

Speaking of Davis, by halftime Barkley surpassed Davis' all-time rushing yards record in a season of 2,476 while becoming the first player to top 2,500 yards, counting playoffs.

Mahomes, meanwhile, sure could have used a good ground game Sunday.

Behind a spongy offensive line that left him battered, Mahomes handed off just seven times and the Chiefs, who had won 23 of their previous 25 games, trailed 34-0 before they ever crossed midfield.

Kareem Hunt gained 9 yards on three carries, Isiah Pacheco managed 7 yards on three carries and Samaje Perine reeled off an 8-yard gain on his only handoff.

Like Hurts, who led Philly with 72 yards on the ground, Mahomes was KC's leading rusher, with 25 yards on four runs. The rest of the time, Mahomes was desperately trying to avoid the Eagles' destructive four-man pass rush that sacked him six times, forced him into three turnovers and was so consistently effective that coordinator Vic Fangio never once had to dial up a blitz to rattle him.

Barkley's 2,504 total yards rushing and 18 touchdown runs capped a big comeback for NFL running backs in a season that began with so many veterans switching jerseys and helping propel their new teams toward the playoffs.

Derrick Henry left Tennessee for Baltimore and rushed for 1,921 yards and an NFL-best 16 touchdowns, and he added 270 yards and three TDs in the playoffs.

Aaron Jones left Green Bay for rival Minnesota and set career highs with 255 carries for 1,138 yards to go with seven total touchdowns. The Packers replaced him with Josh Jacobs, who left Las Vegas for the green and gold and ran for 1,329 yards and a career-high 15 TDs.

Joe Mixon bolted the Bengals for the Texans and ran for 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns, adding 194 yards and two scores in the playoffs.

None did better than Barkley, though, who won AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year and entered Sunday just 30 yards shy of topping Davis’ total set in 1998 when he helped the Broncos win their second straight Super Bowl.

Barkley’s seven touchdowns of 60-plus yards (that includes the postseason) were a record and he joined Davis as one of only two players in NFL history with at least 400 yards rushing and five touchdowns in a single postseason.

“It was a hell of a year," Barkley said, "but all of the numbers and stats or records are cool, but the best thing is to be able to hold that Lombardi Trophy.”

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) walks on the field before the NFL Super Bowl 59 football game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) catches a pass as Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton (32) defends during the first half of the NFL Super Bowl 59 football game, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Doug Benc)

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) tries to elude the tackle of Kansas City Chiefs safety Bryan Cook (6) during the first half of the NFL Super Bowl 59 football game, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) carries during the second half of the NFL Super Bowl 59 football game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after the NFL Super Bowl 59 football game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Sunday to discuss ongoing support for Ukraine.

The U.K., France and Germany, the so-called E3 group of European nations, have been prominent backers of Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. The U.K. and France lead the “coalition of the willing” initiative to provide security guarantees for Ukraine as part of a peace process.

The meeting on Sunday evening comes in the wake of a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack that targeted St. Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city, underscoring Kyiv’s growing ability to hit deep inside Russia. Gov. Alexander Beglov said three people sustained minor injuries in Saturday's attack, during which residents were advised to stay indoors.

It was the latest embarrassing blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to cast the conflict as a distant event that doesn’t affect Russian daily life.

Putin on Friday rejected Zelenskyy's offer for a meeting, saying he sees “no point” in it.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visits the German Armed Forces Laage airbase, Germany, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (Stefan Sauer/dpa via AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks with the media as he arrives for the EU-Western Balkans summit in Tivat, Montenegro, Friday, June 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Risto Bozovic)

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer looks at a Vanta system as he visits STARK, a leading defence tech company in Swindon, England, Friday, June 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, Pool)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to journalists during a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Wednesday, June 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)