Saquon On The Eagles' Running Game: 'Whatever [Winning] Looks Like, That's What Matters'

PHILADELPHIA — At this stage it's a familiar and repetitive refrain.

The Eagles are "close" with a running game that has somehow gone from historic to moribund inside of 10 months.

After running for 2,005 yards in the 2024 regular season, superstar running back Saquon Barkley is on pace to run for under 900 (896 to be exact) this time around. The All-Pro and reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year had 17 explosive runs of 20-or-more yards last season, and has trudged through seven games with a long run of 18 yards.

The 5-2 Eagles will go into Sunday’s rematch against the New York Giants with the NFL’s 30th-ranked rushing offense.

The last time Barkley faced off against his old team in a 34-17 loss at MetLife Stadium on Oct. 9, he had 12 rushes for 58 yards, with five of those totes going for no gain or negative yardage. Against the Minnesota Vikings last weekend, Barkley was down to 44 yards on 18 carries, with seven of the rushes being stoned or turned in the opposite direction.

Stopping the negative stuff is the priority for Barkley moving forward.

Moving Forward

Oct 9, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) carries the ball defended by New York Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke (58) and safety Tyler Nubin (27) during the first quarter of the game at MetLife Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

In the 2024 season, Barkley had averaged a mind-boggling 3.8 yards per carry before contact. His 2025 average dips down 1.8 yards before contact. To further batten down on that, according to SumerSports, just 109 of Barkley's 369 total rushing yards have come before contact in the 2025 season.

After the win in Minnesota, Barkley claimed he had "to do a better job of not taking negative runs.”

“I keep saying that. I know I sound like a broken record, but that’s something I’ve got to do. I own it," the All-Pro said.

While as professional as ever, Barkley is growing tired of the comparisons to last season.

"Comparison is the thief of joy" is a quote that the 26th U.S. President, Theodore Roosevelt, is often credited with popularizing. Recently, 76ers rookie sensation V.J. Edgecombe has brought it into the Philadelphia sports lexicon.

Across the street at the NovaCare Complex, Barkley is trying to stem the relentless tide of comparison every week.

"Coming into this season, I said it’s going to look different," Barkley said. "I wish it didn’t look like this right now. But we’re winning football games. We can’t get caught up in stuff that doesn’t matter. I bet you at this point last year, if you flip it, it was the exact opposite – the pass game wasn’t where we wanted it to be, but we were running the ball like crazy, and everyone was like, ‘How are we going to get the pass game going?’

"So it’s like, I would love for us to go out there and put up 600 yards of offense, and have 400 yards passing and 200 yards rushing. But sometimes, it just doesn’t work like that. You gotta take what the defense gives you, make plays when you’re able to make plays. But the most important thing is winning football games, and I’m going to continue to have that mindset."

Barkley is a historian of the game and often tries to tap into the great runners of the past, but understands numbers are going to fluctuate in the ultimate team game.

“I’m not really a big numbers guy,” he said. “Wasn’t really good at numbers in school, either. People use numbers. ... I don’t really get caught up in that. I don’t think it defines me as a player. I still know what I bring to the table. But I do know we have to be more efficient in the running game. That’s something we’re focused on."

To do that, the Eagles will have to win against his former team just 17 days after the stunning upset at MetLife Stadium. More so, the Eagles will be without Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens and All-Pro receiver A.J. Brown, something that should only make things more difficult for Barkley and the Eagles' running game to get on track.

"At the end of the day, our whole goal is to go 6-2 and win another football game. Whatever that looks like, that’s what matters.”

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