Eagles Get Good News On Superstar RB
PHILADELPHIA - It took until Week 8 for the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year to get going, but it didn't take long.
It was 17 seconds to be exact when Saquon Barkley took an EZPass lane provided by Brett Toth, Landon Dickerson, and Jordan Mailata 65 yards to paydirt to set the tone in what turned into a 38-20 blowout of the New York Giants.
After a historic season in which he crossed the 2,000-barrier in 2024 (2,005 to be exact), Barkley had been buttoned up early in this campaign, coming into Sunday's game on pace for 896 yards while averaging just 3.3 yards per carry.
Getting off to a 65-yard head start was a pretty good indication that Barkley was going to breeze by his season-high of 88 yards in Week 2 against Kansas City, and sure enough, he brushed by the century mark before the two-minute warning in the second quarter.
By the time it was done, Barkley had rushed for 150 yards on 14 carries, 10.7 yards per clip in just three quarters.
That performance boosted the All-Pro's season yards per carry to 4.1. still-not Barkley-esqe but far more respectable.
Barkley's last run of the afternoon, a 28-yard burst around right end on the final play of the third quarter, put a Halloween-worthy scare into all of Philadelphia.
The superstar pulled up with what looked like a hamstring tweak, but eventually confirmed as a groin.
It was a sinking feeling to the idea that this is just not Barkley's season until the RB1 showed up in the post-game locker room as usual and intimated he'd be good to go for the Eagles' next game on Nov. 10 at the Green Bay Packers.
Not Worried
"I wasn’t worried about it," Barkley said when asked about the injury. "I came off, but nothing crazy. It’s a long season. I tried my best. I always listen to the trainers and the coaches, and they felt like they could (finish) the game without me.
"It was fun to be a cheerleader on the sideline, and see Tank [Bigsby] and Will [Shipley] go out there."
At the time of Barkley's injury, the Eagles were leading 24-13 but his game status was confirmed as questionable to return with 6:37 left in the game, quarterback Jalen Hurts struck on the next play, hitting Jahan Dotson on a 40-yard TD with 5:59 remaining to make it a 38-13 game.
It would have been a dereliction of duty to put Barkley back in at that point, especially with Bigsby gashing the Giants' run defense to the tune of nine carries for 104 yards, an 11.6 average.
"I went out swinging. I’ll say that. But (trainer Tom Hunkele) has been doing this for a long time. So it’s a smart thing to listen to him," Barkley said.
Coming out of a Week 9 bye, the Eagles will now have a rejuvenated running game with Barkley ready to go against a talented Packers team.
"When it comes together, it’s a thing of beauty," Barkley said of the Eagles' running game. "That first run is what it looked like for a very long time. You give us space – and that’s what teams try to do, they don’t want to give us any space – you gives us a chance, you give us space, and good luck."
Marcus Mariota’s confidence could spark Commanders upset vs. Chiefs
Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota is back in the starting lineup after Jayden Daniels suffered his second injury of the season.
This will mark Mariota's third time starting this year, and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury is happy with his progress as he prepares to face off against the Kansas City Chiefs.
"I mean, he's been tremendous, really. I think going back to last year, it was a tough spot this last week," Kingsbury said.
"We didn't play very good overall and he, we were down big, you know, he had one throw he’d liked to have back, but just his command of the offense, the way he leads, the way he prepares, the way he's played in the games has been really good. So, not much will change. We'll try to do stuff that he likes specific to him and try to tailor the game plan to that. But other than that, we'll just cut it loose and let it go.”
Mariota has big opportunity vs. Chiefs
The Commanders are hoping to get back in the win column against the Chiefs, but it's hard to do that when the backup quarterback is in the game. Luckily for the Commanders, they have a former starter in Mariota who is one of the best second-string signal callers in the league.
"I really try to prepare, like I'm the starter every week and I try to do all the mental reps. Now more so I'm getting just more physical reps than I am the mental part of it," Mariota said.
"But I try not to change my process through the week just because I feel like as long as I got my process, I can lean on that, whether I'm playing or not and it's worked well for me over the course of the last couple years. Just being around [Offensive Coordinator] Kliff [Kingsbury] and [Quarterbacks Coach] Tavita [Pritchard] and the rest of the offensive staff, like, I feel really confident in the way that we prepare, and I just go about it the same way.”
Mariota has known for a few days that he will start, but his preparation hasn't changed a lot compared to other weeks. The hope is that he can put his best foot forward and lead the Commanders to victory over the Chiefs.
