Steelers Likely Gave Saquon Barkley Some Extra Motivation Going Into Big Clash In Philadelphia

The Pittsburgh Steelers are approaching their biggest game of the 2024 season as they prepare to travel to the other side of Pennsylvania to take on the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 15. The Eagles are riding a nine-game win streak and are one of the top teams in the NFC, while Pittsburgh has a tough schedule throughout the remainder of the season which makes this game extremely important. The Steelers currently have a chance to capture the one-seed in the AFC, but they would likely have to win out the regular season. That starts in Philadelphia on Sunday.

The Eagles are a tough matchup for any team in the league. They have one of the best offensive lines in football, two top-tier wide receivers, a dual-threat quarterback, and of course, Saquon Barkley. Barkley has been one of the best running backs since entering the league back in 2018, but he is having a career year in his first season with the Eagles. Barkley has spent the majority of his career with the New York Giants, and the Steelers faced off against Barkley once at the start of the 2020 season.

It is safe to say that the Steelers had Barkley's number back in 2020, but it is also important to note that he wasn't playing for a good team. The Giants' offensive line was not great, and neither was the Giants' offense as a whole, which made it difficult to run on Pittsburgh's stifling defense. This game is certainly a stain on Barkley's impressive resume, as he was out-rushed by Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The veteran quarterback had nine rushing yards while Barkley had six.

During the game against the Steelers in 2020, Barkley averaged just .4 yards per carry. This was the worst game of his professional career, although he did have six receptions for 60 yards. The running back's bad game against Pittsburgh forced him to try and push himself going into Week 2 of the 2020 season. He wanted to prove everyone wrong that was talking bad about him after his performance against Pittsburgh. He spoke about this, and what eventually happened during an interview on Scoop City. 

"Before Chicago [In Week 2], in my third year, we played the Steelers on Monday night or Sunday night, and I didn't have that great of a game. People talked about me in the media, and that next week like, I was practicing way harder than I always did, and I practice hard. I had like this hate in my heart, like I wanted to go out there and show everyone that I am who I say I am. And like, I didn't play that game for the love of my teammates, I went out there just for like me, to show everyone this is me, and I tore my knee."

Barkley had such a bad game in Week 1 against Pittsburgh that he wanted to prove everyone wrong going into the next game. He began to over-do it, and eventually tore his ACL. The running back missed the rest of the 2020 season, and a lot of that comes down to his rough outing against the Steelers. It's likely that the running back has a little extra motivation going into this game against Pittsburgh.

Steelers Won't See The Same Version Of Saquon Barkley Again

Barkley has been a man on a mission in 2024, and he is firmly in the MVP race as a running back, which is rare to see. He is able to run behind one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, so the Steelers should expect a much bigger challenge when it comes to stopping the explosive running back than what they faced back in 2020. Barkley also shares the backfield with Jalen Hurts, who is an elite runner in his own right. The duo makes one another better, and the two present a major challenge for the Steelers' defense.

Do you think Barkley has some extra motivation going into Sunday? Let us know in the comments below!

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