Saquon Barkley’s second season with the Philadelphia Eagles hasn’t exactly picked up where the last one left off. A year ago, the superstar running back was the architect in chief of Philly’s Super Bowl run, bulldozing defenders, racking up over 2,000 rushing yards, and averaging a staggering 5.8 yards per carry.
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But five weeks into the 2025 season, Barkley’s production has taken a steep nosedive, and the numbers tell a story that’s hard to ignore.
Through five games, Barkley has carried the ball 83 times for 267 yards, averaging just 3.2 yards per carry, his lowest mark since joining the Eagles. More concerningly, he’s picking up first downs on only 14.4% of his carries, down sharply from 23.8% last season.
So, on his current pace of 53.4 rushing yards per game, the former Giant is projected to finish the season with roughly 908 yards, less than half his 2024 total.
That said, even though he’s been slightly more active in the passing game, catching 17 passes for 128 yards, including a 47-yard touchdown, Barkley’s overall output has still plummeted.
For instance, last season, the Eagles RB tallied 2,283 scrimmage yards across 16 games. And now in 2025, he’s on track for barely 1,343 yards, a drop of a whopping 1,000 yards despite playing in what’s supposed to be one of the league’s most dynamic offenses.
Saquon Barkley is averaging 53.4 rush yards per game through 5 weeks.
At that pace, he’d finish with approximately 908 yards this season— down from 2,005 last season. pic.twitter.com/tWxaXz9fUR
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 8, 2025
Naturally, the internet is having a field day with theories, and the loudest one so far has been the infamous Madden Curse.
Barkley was unveiled earlier this summer as the cover athlete for Madden 26, a dream come true for most NFL players, including Barkley himself. But with the honor comes the Madden Curse.
The superstition suggests that whoever lands on the cover inevitably suffers an injury or a steep decline in form the following season. Just last year, 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey seemed to fall victim to the same “curse” after gracing the Madden 25 cover. He went from an MVP-calibre 1,459-yard season to playing just four games in the entire season due to Achilles issues.
So has the Madden curse infected Saquon Barkley? Well, logically speaking, it’s hard to follow that train of thought for two reasons.
First, the Eagles this season are playing under new OC Kevin Patullo. Moreover, there appears to be a tussle within the Eagles’ attacking cohort over snaps and offensive patterns. So, amidst the novelty of a new coordinator and chaos, Barkley’s production taking a hit isn’t a surprise.
Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, NFL teams this year had an entire offseason to scheme specifically against Saquon Barkley, which they likely didn’t do in Year 1 due to a lack of data on how the RB would be used in Philadelphia. Hence, considering all this, it looks like Saquon Barkley’s output has worsened for more human reasons than the supernatural.
And even if it really is the Madden Curse, what we know for a fact is that Barkley doesn’t believe in it:
“Nah, I’m a believer in God. That’s my mindset to be completely honest. I’ve had injuries before… I tore my knee, rolled my ankle — and there was no curse then. That’s just how life works. You’re going to have your ups and downs. My mindset is work, do what I need to do, and the rest is in God’s hands.”
Safe to say, the reigning Super Bowl champion isn’t giving any superstition any power. He just believes in working hard and letting God plan things from above.
