Eagles' Search For X Plays Should Start With Saquon Barkley Vs. Rams

PHILADELPHIA – Not all explosive plays for the Eagles are created equally. They come in a variety of packages, as Nick Sirianni explained with preparations for Week 3 of the season, and a visit from the L.A. Rams on Sunday, just getting underway.

The Eagles coach rattled off ways to gain an explosive play – “Sometimes it's over the top, sometimes it's intermediate, sometimes it's short, sometimes it's in the run game, sometimes it's in the screen game,” he said.

Ah, yes, the run game. It’s been tough sledding for Saquon Barkley, even though he proved to be the ultimate weapon in the Eagles’ 28-22 NFC Divisional Round playoff game, streaking through the snowflakes, whacking himself on the helmet on his way to what proved to be the game-winning, 78-yard touchdown burst, against the Rams.

Barkley had just 60 yards against the Cowboys in Week 1 but upped that to 88 yards on 22 carries against the Chiefs on Sunday. His longest in Kansas City, however, was just 13 yards, though that dash went for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead in what became a 20-17 win.

Kevin Patullo Talks About Run Game

Offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo spoke to reporters on Tuesday and thought Barkley and the offensive line did a good job getting what they could against a defensive coordinator like Steve Spagnuolo.

“I thought it was a really good job by them upfront to earn those yards,” he said. “We haven't had the glitzy glamor hundred-yard, whatever, the big pop runs that we've had, but if you look at the efficiency and what we asked him to do…I think we're moving in the right direction.”

The answer just isn’t telling the studs on the offensive line, ‘Hey, block better,’ though Patullo said that’s where it starts, with those guys up front, but not just them.

“You've got to identify what they're doing and if we're on the same page, and we're able to kind of work together to get them through the second level,” he said. “If the second level wants to work their way into our O line, then we've got a really good shot. If you watch a lot of those runs, it starts with the receivers, too, and the tight ends blocking downfield.

“That's a huge piece of it. They've been working their butt off to try to get him through on some of these runs, and we were really close even on Sunday against Kansas City. Super close on two of them. So I think it'll happen.”

After two games last year, Barkley had 204 rushing yards on his way to 2,005. This year, he has 148 through two games.

Barkley rewrote the Eagles’ history books with a 255-rushing game against the Rams during the regular-season last year and had another 205-yard output against them in the playoffs. He totaled 534 yards when his receiving yards are factored into this rushing yards.

Could this be Barkley’s first 100-plus rushing game of the season, a year after he put up 11 of those?

“Their front is really, really good,” said Patullo. “We know that going in, so we will have a plan for that. And then obviously having a plan for whatever they have new wrinkles-wise, because they know obviously Saquon's a huge part of our offense.”

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