The Philadelphia Eagles seemed to be feeling the effects of a major Super Bowl hangover after losing back-to-back games to the Giants and Broncos in frustrating fashion. Their passing game was non-existent, and concerns were mounting. But all of that was put to rest in Week 7 as Philly used the pass to beat the Vikings 28-22.
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QB Jalen Hurts had his best game of the year, putting up 326 yards and three TDs on 19-for-23 passing. Wideout DeVonta Smith had nine receptions for 183 yards and a score, while A.J. Brown had four receptions for 121 yards and two scores. Unfortunately, the Eagles continued to struggle in the running game. And last year’s league-topper, Saquon Barkley, managed just 44 yards on 18 carries.
The Vikings were one of the best pass defenses in football and specifically weak against the run, so the low production for Barkley is much more frustrating. He has yet to reach 100 yards in a game this season—something he’d already done thrice by this time last year. However, former Eagles center Jason Kelce believes it’s just “a matter of time.”
“I know it hasn’t looked perfect up until this point. But I just gotta think that these guys are gonna continue to figure this thing out. They got great players, they got great coaches… The running game is only a matter of time as well… And Saquon’s coming, man. I don’t care what it’s looked like to this point,” said Jason on New Heights.
Jason’s brother, Travis, then compared Barkley’s slump to one his own superstar teammate, Patrick Mahomes, experienced in 2019.
“Listen, when you have a 2,000-yard rusher, news flash, everybody’s gonna be focused on stopping the f*cking run. When Pat[rick Mahomes] went for 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns, the next season we saw Cover 4 and safeties at 20 yards before the snap of the ball,” revealed the tight end.
In 2018, during his first season as an NFL starter, Mahomes took the league by storm, throwing for 5,097 yards and 50 TDs. In 2019, Mahomes’ numbers plummeted to 4,039 yards and just 26 TDs. One can definitely see the similarities here. Barkley averaged over 125 yards per game during his 2,005-yard season last year, but is producing just 52.5 yards per contest so far in 2025.
As Travis Kelce explained, when you have an otherworldly, record-breaking season like Barkley did in 2024, you can probably expect teams to adjust heavily towards stopping you specifically for next year.
“It’s a different world going into that next season. You gotta keep adapting. You gotta keep changing it up. Unfortunately, that means Saquon might not get as many carries, or might not get as many yards, and touchdowns, and have the crazy 2,000-yard season. But it definitely doesn’t mean that he’s not gonna make an impact. And it definitely doesn’t mean you’re not gonna win football games,” Travis continued.
The younger Kelce makes a good point, and it’s yet another reason why the Eagles should have let Barkley play in that Week 18 game against the Giants to give him a chance to break Eric Dickerson’s single-season record of 2,105 yards. All he needed was 100 yards.
Barkley might not even make it to 1,000 yards this season, much less sniff 2,000 again. The 2024 season was more than likely his one, golden opportunity to make history, and his team sat him (against his former team, no less) for nebulous health reasons.
It was a missed opportunity for Barkley, but he can still try to make the most out of this season. After seven games, he’s got 113 carries for 369 yards and three scores. That computes to a 3.3 yards per carry mark, nearly half of the 5.8 he averaged last season. Barkley has been relatively productive in the passing game, posting 20 receptions for 135 yards and a TD.
Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens have missed time on the offensive line, but that hardly seems like enough of an excuse. Barkley gets the bottom 10 run defense of his nemesis, the Giants, in Week 8. If he can’t get right in that one, it might really be time to start worrying.
