LeBron James, Micah Parsons and more react to Saquon Barkley's big game

It turns out that 26 was the lucky number for the Eagles in their crucial win over the Washington Commanders in primetime on Thursday night. To stay atop the NFC East, the Birds defeated the Commanders, 26-18, led by a dominant performance from No. 26 Saquon Barkley, who finished with two touchdowns and 146 rushing yards 26 wears. It was the sixth straight win for the Eagles and turned out to be the perfect birthday present DeVonta Smith who turned around – you guessed it – 26 years old.

The Eagles enter Week 12 in first place in the division after an offensive surge late in the fourth quarter led by Barkley and an impressive defense that features limited quarterback Jayden Daniels and the Commanders. While the world watched on prime-time television, Barkley channeled his inner “Mamba Mentality” while wearing the Kobe Bryant “Mamba” earrings.

It’s safe to say that Barkley lived up to the Mamba Mentality on Thursday night, eclipsing 1,000 rushing yards on the season and moving ahead of Derrick Henry for the NFL lead in rushing yards — Barkley also leads the NFL in total yards from scrimmage.

This makes Barkley just the second player in franchise history to reach the 1,000+ mark through the first 10 games (LeSean McCoy, 2011). Barkley’s performance before a national audience caught the attention of many in the sports world, including current and former Dallas Cowboys players Micah Parsons and Dez Bryant.

Barkley took over in the fourth quarter with two touchdowns just 20 seconds apart — with a Daniels interception sandwiched in between — with less than five minutes left, cooling the game for the Birds with a 23-yard run.

This is just the latest great performance from Barkley after signing a three-year, $37.75 million contract with the Eagles after six seasons with the New York Giants. The star running back has four games with 140 rushing yards or more and his production through the first ten games of this season is comparable to what the Eagles got out of DeAndre Swift and Miles Sanders the past two years — over an entire season.

So of course, former Eagles defensive end Chris Long – and Eagles fans at the game – couldn’t help but troll the running back’s former team after another dynamic performance.

Barkley’s masterclass once again left NFL fans in awe, including future NBA Hall of Famer LeBron James. This isn’t the first time this season he’s caught the attention of the Los Angeles Lakers star. James posted about it too Barkley’s Back Hurdle against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Eagles have now won six in a row and improved to 8-2 on Thursday night. There’s no doubt that Barkley has been the catalyst for an excellent season thus far. But what are some other reasons why the Eagles are doing so well?

According to former Philadelphia and Washington wide receiver DeSean Jackson, it’s because of him.

“I honestly think I’m the reason why they’re playing well,” Jackson said about the Eagles on his podcast: The 25/10 show. “I lit some you-know-whats underneath. I lit some fire among them. I feel like I was very (critical) of them, you know what I mean. And when I speak my language, I feel like sometimes guys listen. My boy CJ Gardner-Johnson, you know my boy said, ‘(Expletive) Jack, is that how you feel?’ Like, yeah, and he said, ‘You know what? You’re kind of right.’ So I feel like no matter how much they hit you and tell you they’re mad, they still listen and tune in because you know they have to get to work.

But Jackson’s cohost – the 25 to his 10 – and former Eagles running back LeSean McCoy have a better reason for the team’s success.