The Eagles are the betting favorites to win Super Bowl LIX.
After Sunday’s divisional round games left us with the final four teams alive to win the 2025 Super Bowl, the Eagles emerged as favorites at +175 odds.
The Chiefs are behind them at +240, followed by the Bills at +260. The Commanders are the long shots at +650.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the Eagles will be favored to win the Super Bowl if they win the NFC Championship Game. The Eagles are viewed as favorites over the Bills and Chiefs in part because the Commanders are viewed as the worst of the four remaining teams, so the Eagles have the easiest path to the Super Bowl. And the championship games themselves will influence the Super Bowl line, either because one winner looks better than the other, or because a winning team suffers a key injury.
Giants fans may have been feeling queasy watching Saquon Barkley explode for more than 200 rushing yards and two touchdowns to send the Eagles to the NFC Championship game, but one ex-Giant was more than happy to see Barkley perform at a high level on Sunday.
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs the ball for a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football NFC divisional playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025 AP
“So f–n proud of that boy!!! Since day one the illesttt I seeen put on cleats, that’s on my soul @saquon,” Beckham wrote on X.
Beckham and Barkley called each other teammates for one season on the Giants in 2018, and he wasn’t the only former teammate showing support for Barkley on Sunday.
Ex-Giants teammates Sterling Shepard and Daniel Jones were guests in Barkley’s box at Lincoln Financial Field, according to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan.
Odell Beckham Jr. of the Miami Dolphins warms up prior to the game against the New England Patriots at Hard Rock Stadium on November 24, 2024. Getty Images
Barkley’s tenure with the Giants came to an during the offseason when he signed with the rival Eagles on a three-year, $37.75 million contract with $26 million guaranteed.
Since he left, Barkley has been one of the top running backs in the NFL, falling just short of tying Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record and finishing the regular season with 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns.
He finished Sunday’s win over the Rams with 205 yards on the ground and ran for a 78-yard touchdown and a 62-yard touchdown in the course of the game.
“It starts up front. It starts up front with those guys and then when you have a quarterback that can take it 50 yards to the house that opens stuff for you too,” Barkley told NBC after the win about his strong effort.
Odell Beckham and Saquon Barkley on the Giants sidelines before the start of the game against the Falcons in 2018, Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
The continued success of Barkley has made his departure a big storyline in the Giants’ forgettable 2024 season.
“And we couldn’t pay this man ?” former Giants star Justin Tuck wrote on X after the game.
By comparison, the move to sign him has been another feather in the cap of Eagles general manager Howie Roseman.
Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley shared a close bond during their time with the Giants, and it seems that hasn’t changed despite the two no longer being teammates.
Jones was on hand on Sunday when Barkley rushed for 205 yards and two touchdowns in the Eagles’ 28-22 NFC divisional round win over the Rams. He had scoring runs of 62 and 78 yards — the latter of which proved to be the winning score.
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams in the second half in a 2025 NFC divisional round game at Lincoln Financial Field. Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
The former Giants starting quarterback was a guest in Barkley’s box at Lincoln Financial Field, along with ex-Giants receiver Sterling Shepard, according to ESPN.
The pair were “among those in his box cheering on their close friend,” per the report.
Barkley and Jones spent five seasons as teammates in New York and both had – what was at the time – career years for both players in 2022.
The running back had 1,312 rushing yards – a career-best – and had 10 rushing touchdowns, while Jones put up a career-high 67.2 percent completion rate and a career-best 3,205 passing yards.
Saquon Barkley of the Philadelphia Eagles shakes hands with Daniel Jones of the New York Giants following the game at MetLife Stadium on October 20, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Philadelphia defeated New York 28-3. Getty Images
The two didn’t end up staying with the Giants, with Barkley leaving via free agency last offseason and Jones ended up being released in the middle of this season in the second year of his four-year, $160 million contract extension he signed in 2023.
Former Giants receiver Sterling Shepard was in Saquon Barkley’s box on Sunday. Getty Images
“I’ve got nothing but great things to say about him. You’re not going to find anybody who’s really got a lot of negative things to say about him,” Barkley said. “But it’s the NFL. Hopefully, wherever he ends up next, they’re gonna get a guy who will come in and work. [Coming from the Giants], I’m doing well [with the Eagles]. Hopefully, he can find the same kind of fresh start and success.”
Barkley has the chance to secure his first Super Bowl appearance next weekend when the Eagles host the Commanders in the NFC championship game.
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