Picture this: a powerhouse running back like Saquon Barkley, the guy who shattered records and powered the Eagles to a Super Bowl victory, getting barely any action in a key game. Is this the Philadelphia Eagles' shocking oversight that's now sparking frustration across their offense? Let's dive into the details of their Week 5 defeat to the Broncos and explore why Barkley might feel like the forgotten man – and what it could mean for the team's future success.
After that tough loss in Denver, there wasn't a single public demand for Saquon Barkley to get more carries. But honestly, there really should have been. Just one week earlier, star wide receiver A.J. Brown had vented his frustrations on social media about the offense and his limited role in it. In response, the Eagles shifted gears dramatically to support their receivers. They threw the ball a whopping 44 times, with quarterback Jalen Hurts attempting a career-high 38 passes – that's 13 more than his average of 25.3 attempts per game going into Week 5.
To put this in perspective for beginners, the Eagles' pass-run ratio skyrocketed to 80%, way higher than their season average of 45.5% up to that point. This meant the receivers, including Brown and DeVonta Smith, finally got the targets they had been craving, with more attempts to throw deep down the field. It was like the team was saying, 'We hear you,' and adjusting accordingly.
But here's where it gets controversial – and this is the part most people miss: While the passing game got all the love, Saquon Barkley, the ninth running back in NFL history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season and the all-time record holder for rushing yards including playoffs with 2,504, was left out in the cold. He managed just six carries for a total of 30 yards on the ground. The Eagles only ran the ball 11 times overall, accounting for just 20% of their offensive plays. By ditching the balanced approach that had made them so effective, they strayed from their comfort zone and ended up losing the game.
For context, this ties into a broader article about how the Eagles' passing focus led to a stalled running game by design in that Broncos matchup. As Barkley himself put it after the loss, 'I'm not going to really get too caught up in that. At the end of the day, whether we ran the ball enough or not, we had an opportunity to win a football game, and we didn't. We didn't do enough. So, I really don't get caught up in, are we throwing the ball enough? Or are we running the ball enough? Can we win a football game? It's going to look different every single game. So far, we're 4-1, and we didn't win today.'
Barkley's take is spot on – every game presents unique challenges. The Broncos, for instance, employed man coverage – a defensive strategy where defenders stick closely to receivers one-on-one – on 27.3% of plays, essentially daring the Eagles to go deep and let Brown and Smith create big plays. But there's a fine line here. The Eagles chose to toss aside the formula that had won them 20 out of 21 games over the past 371 days. After building a comfortable 17-3 lead early in the third quarter, they abandoned the run entirely, firing off 19 passes and handing off just once – and that single carry went to Barkley.
It almost felt like the team had completely forgotten about Barkley, the very player who had carried them to a championship the previous year. As he added, 'I really don't know what people want. If I touch the ball too much, sometimes we're not throwing enough. We throw it too much and I only have 9 touches. It's like, I'm not in the business of 'What are we doing enough?' I'm in the business of winning football games, and we didn't win the football game. With 9 touches, we had an opportunity to win the football game, still, and we didn't.'
To clarify for those new to football strategy, the Eagles typically follow a straightforward game plan: Pass early to establish a lead, then rely on the run to grind out the win and protect that advantage. This worked wonders last season, when Barkley racked up 1,245 rushing yards in the second halves of games alone, averaging an impressive 6.7 yards per carry. But this year? It's been a total flip-flop, much like their offense in Week 5. Barkley has only 127 rushing yards in second halves so far, with a meager 2.6 yards per carry average. Despite leading the NFL with 48 carries (tied for second), he was essentially invisible in the Broncos game.
Even in past games where the running game struggled, the Eagles stuck with it. Not this time, though Barkley did contribute with six carries for 30 yards, helping the team average 4.1 yards per carry overall (on 11 attempts totaling 45 yards). And he wasn't totally sidelined from the game plan – he hauled in a spectacular 47-yard touchdown pass on a wheel route from Hurts early in the third quarter, capping a drive that gave the Eagles a 14-point cushion. In fact, Barkley saw three targets for 58 yards, showing how the team is leaning on him more in the passing game to compensate for fewer rushing opportunities.
As Barkley explained, 'I think that's something we can continue to expand upon, especially with a lot of teams focusing on the running game. I feel like I am a mismatch against linebackers. We have so many talented players here. We can go here and say we can mismatch and do more. We just gotta win football games. And we're 4-1, and we didn't do that today.'
The reality is, there's only one football to share among superstars like Barkley, Brown, Smith, and tight end Dallas Goedert. The Eagles must juggle how to get everyone involved, and so far, the players have been team players, accepting fewer touches without complaint. But by prioritizing the passing game and sidelining Barkley, Philadelphia ended up paying a steep price for that loss.
In Barkley's final words on the matter, 'We gotta figure out what's the reason why we're going to be successful this year. Whether it's the run game. Whether it's the pass game. Whether it's a blend. I believe that it can be a blend. I'm a big believer in whatever the (other) team presents for us, whatever we can take advantage of, we gotta do that.'
So, what's your take? Should the Eagles double down on their proven run-heavy formula from last season, or is adapting to more pass-heavy games the smarter move in today's NFL? And could this be a sign of bigger offensive imbalances brewing? Do you agree with Barkley's focus on winning over individual stats, or is there room for more balance? Share your opinions in the comments – let's discuss!
