Eagles Give Positive Injury Update on RB Saquon Barkley
The Philadelphia Eagles may have caught a break when it comes to running back and reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley and a scary injury moment in a 38-20 win over the New York Giants in Week 8.
Barkley was taken out of the game with a groin injury in the second half, but not until he rushed for a season high 150 yards on 14 carries to go with 1 rushing touchdown and 1 receiving touchdown.
According to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, Barkley could have returned if the game would have been on the line.
“Eagles running back Saquon Barkley left Sunday’s game late in the third quarter with a groin injury,” Florio wrote on October 26. “He did not return. Per the team, he could have returned to the game, if needed. He wasn’t needed.”
If Barkley was going to get even mildly injured, now would be the time.
The Eagles have their bye in Week 9 and don’t return to action for 15 days, when they face another Super Bowl contender in the Green Bay Packers.
Barkley’s Early-Season Struggles in Spotlight
Barkley’s breakout game comes after 2 months of having his every carry picked apart by the media, and for good reason.
In 2024, in his first season with the Eagles, Barkley became the ninth player in NFL history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season and helped lead his team to a Super Bowl win.
Barkley, who became the highest paid running back in NFL history, had yet to have a 100 yard game through the first 7 weeks of the regular season.
“It’s a shocking regression,” Fox Sports color commentator and former NFL tight end Greg Olsen said during Philadelphia’s Week 7 win over the Minnesota Vikings in which Barkley had 18 carries for 44 yards. “It’s just continued today.”
Through 7 games, Barkley had 113 carries for 369 yards and 3 touchdowns. That put him on track to rush for approximately 896 yards in a 17-game season.
Barkley’s Focus Remains On Winning Games
Whatever the talking heads might say about Barkley’s stats, the message from the player himself throughout the season has been focused solely on one thing: Winning.
“People get caught up in how winning looks … it’s winning,” Barkley said after the win over the Vikings. “It’s our team beating their team. Whatever it looks like, that’s all that matters. To win the football game. That’s what matters.”
In stark contract to that approach, star wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith complained publicly in 2024 about not getting the ball enough during a 10-game winning streak.
Brown did the same thing this year as the Eagles reeled off 4 consecutive wins to open the season.
While Barkley’s game has been picked apart and Brown’s diva behavior has as well, much of the blame for any offensive struggles should land on first year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo.
Patullo was hired as offensive coordinator to take over for current New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore. The Eagles currently rank 23rd in the NFL in total offense.
“Plenty of finger-pointing will occur this week after another disappointing performance by the Eagles. Since the same issues continue to occur, Philadelphia’s offensive coordinator will receive the brunt of the vitriol,” Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski wrote on October 10. “It’s deserved, though.”
New Coach Thrilled as Ex-Oiler Finally Finding Fit After First Goal
Boston Bruins head coach Marco Sturm couldn’t be more relieved and happier after Viktor Arvidsson finally found the back of the net. The former Edmonton Oiler scored his first goal as a Bruin in Friday’s 3-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche — and the bench boss was thrilled to see it happen.
“I’m glad he found the net,” Sturm said after the game. “Hopefully not just him, but the whole team can enjoy a glass of wine tonight and kind of relax a little bit.”
It was a goal that was followed by a “battle cry”, as NESN puts it. He’d been working hard to get on the scoresheet since arriving in a trade, but Arvidsson hadn’t put one past a goalie. Finally, he got one, banking a shot off Avalanche goalie Scott Wedgewood from behind the net. Just 39 seconds later, Boston scored again to take the lead — a sequence that flipped the game and fueled the win.
The milestone was a big one for Arvidsson, who joined the Bruins earlier this month after being traded by the Oilers for a 2027 fifth-round pick. Edmonton’s cap crunch made the move necessary, but the Oilers could potentially use his depth scoring now. Outside of a six-goal outburst versus the Montreal Canadiens, the Oilers are struggling to find goals. Arvidsson only has one, but has notched points in three straight games, giving him four points in 10 appearances.
Perhaps more than the points, Arvdisson brings energy and experience to the Bruins. It’s that kind of aggressive style that the Oilers seem to be missing so far this season. Arvidsson didn’t have a great year in 2024-25, but it was never for a lack of trying. He’s a smaller guy with a motor that won’t quit.
Arvidsson tallied 27 points in 64 games last season with Edmonton, but he’s now on pace for 33. With his confidence growing — and his coach firmly in his corner (which the Oilers arguably were not)— the veteran forward looks poised to carve out a key role in the Bruins’ top nine moving forward.
