Saquon Barkley wants to see the Philadelphia Eagles focus on what they do offensively in order to pull them out of this recent funk that has contributed to them losing back-to-back games for the first time since the 2023 season.
Speaking to reporters after Thursday’s 34-17 loss to the New York Giants, Barkley explained the Eagles need to stop “giving a f–k” how the opposing defense is lined up when thinking about how they call offensive plays.
“Last year, do you think we were predictable? Everybody knew we were going to the run the ball. We still got it off,” Barkley said. “I also think we got to get back to the attitude, the mindset of, not really giving a f–k what people are trying to do.”
Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson went the opposite direction by saying he would like to see them get better at making adjustments, while also pointing out things seem “a lot harder than” they need to be for the team right now.
Johnson did add he’s not putting the blame on first-year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo because “a lot of it comes down to execution.”
To Barkley’s point, the Eagles have almost no rushing attack to speak of right now. They have been held under 100 rushing yards as a team in each of their last four games. They only had one such game like that in 2024, in Week 18 when all of their key starters sat out because they already clinched a playoff berth.
After leading the NFL in percentage of rushing plays last season at 56.3, the Eagles are down to seventh at 46.02 percent so far in 2025. It’s right around their rate from the 2023 season (45.06 percent) when everything fell apart in the second half.
There are reasons that explain some of these struggles. Landon Dickerson missed Thursday’s game due to an ankle injury. Johnson missed a significant chunk of the win over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 3 due to a stinger.
A lot of the issues, though, just boil down to players and/or units not being as good as they were during that triumphant 2024 season.
Barkley only has one game with at least 20 carries so far this season. He hit that mark 13 times in 20 games between the regular season and playoffs last year.
It’s not a surprise the Eagles would try to ease up on Barkley’s workload this season after he had 482 touches last season, but limiting his opportunities as much as they have seems like a waste. He has 23 touches in the last two games combined.
Despite the ugly loss to the Giants, playing on Thursday night could be a blessing for the Eagles because it gives them a few extra days to decompress before they return in Week 7 against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Read the full article here