Eagles Ground Game Showed Signs Vs. Raiders; Still Needs Greater Efficiency

A total of 183 yards rushing in a 31-0 rout of Las Vegas sounds very good until you realize the Eagles needed 47 carries to get there.

Dec 14, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) reacts on the sideline to a play against the Las Vegas Raiders during the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA - The idea that the Eagles haven’t had an offensive identity this season is a flawed premise unless you add an important descriptor.

Philadelphia hasn’t had an “effective offensive identity” too often this season.

That's because the 9-5 Eagles have gone from historic to ho-hum on the ground and have done everything to get a running game that was the offensive crutch last season up to speed with middling results.

In a 31-0 get-right rout of the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, just about every aspect of the team was performing at an optimal level except the ground game.

The defense allowed 75 yards, quarterback Jalen Hurts crossed a 150.0 passer rating, tight end Dallas Goedert had a two-touchdown game that should have been three, DeVonta Smith contributed with a deep shot despite problematic wind gusts, and A.J. Brown got a 27-yard post route for a score that was ripped by Hurts.

A Bigger Role For Tank?

The running attack was better, thanks in large part to Hurts rebooting the plus-one, but both backs – Barkley and Tank Bigsby – got significant carries and finished under 4.0 yards per tote.

Barkley was the bell cow, and the Raiders were effective in stopping him early, with the superstar averaging just 2.3 yards per rush over the first 30 minutes.

Things got better from there, and by the time the starters were pulled, Barkley had 22 carries for 78 yards (3.5 YPC) and a TD with a long of 17.

Bigsby got his most work as an Eagle, carrying it 17 times for 57 yards, and ended up just below Barkley at 3.4 YPC. There is come context there because Bigsby closed out things with three backups in on the offensive line.

Due to the score and the weather, the Eagles leaned heavily on the running game overall with an impressive aggregate total of 183 yards but it took 47 carries to get there, and the 3.9 YPC was bolstered by Hurts’ seven carries for 39 yards.

Conversely, the Philadelphia offense went to the air just 15 times with Hurts’ three TDs matching his incompletions for the day (12 of 15).

Hurts converted two third downs on QB draws, including a third-and-12 backbreaker. However, he also tweaked his ankle on the last play of the third quarter and exited after the first play in the fourth after connecting with Brown for a TD.

Things are shaping up well for the Eagles with a fifth straight postseason run 99% assured with three games remaining.

However, to reach the loftier goals of yet another Super Bowl berth, the team’s rushing attack needs to reach a higher bar of efficiency come January.

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