‘Phenomenal Effort’ Required for Packers to Limit Eagles’ Game-Wrecker

By the numbers, Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley is having an ordinary season.

The reality is the Green Bay Packers will face an extraordinary challenge against Barkley on Monday night at Lambeau Field.

“It’s going to take our whole team,” defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said about trying to stop Saquon Barkley. “It’s about staying square, getting off blocks, taking away space, make the running back start and stop his feet, setting edges,” he went on to say, “because if this back does get an edge and you don't make him stop his feet, he's gone.

“He's the premier running back in this league. So, it's going to take a team effort, detail, good coaching, but what an awesome challenge ahead of us to try to do it again against the Super Bowl champs.”

Barkley has proven to be one of the most dangerous running backs in the league, especially last season. In 16 games, Barkley ran the ball 345 times for 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns, averaging 5.8 yards per carry and 125.3 yards per game to win NFL Offensive Player of the Year.

His dominance continued into the postseason, averaging 124.8 yards per game and scoring five touchdowns in four games.

Compared to his award-winning 2024 season, Barkley had a decent first half of the season. He entered this week’s games ranked 16th in rushing yards (519) just behind Josh Jacobs, 28th in yards per carry (4.1) and 17th in yards per game (64.9) with four touchdowns.

While he hasn’t been great, he has been playing behind an offensive line that has dealt with injuries all season. Notably on Monday night, Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens will miss a second consecutive game with a knee injury.

Barkley not only is coming off a week of rest thanks to last week’s bye but his best game of the season. Against his former team, the New York Giants, Barkley ran for 150 yards on just 14 carries (10.7 yards per carry) and a touchdown, which was a 65-yard run on his first touch of the game. Barkley was also a weapon in the air against the Giants, bringing in four of his five targets for 24 yards and a touchdown.

On top of Barkley coming off his best game of the season, the Packers' run defense is coming off its worst game of the season against Carolina. After losing defensive tackle Colby Wooden, one of the top run defenders on the defensive line, early in the game, Rico Dowdle ran for 130 yards and two touchdowns on an efficient 5.2 yards per carry.

Overall, the Packers have had one of the best run defenses in the NFL this season, allowing only 89.4 rushing yards per game. However, the Packers have faced only three other running backs who are in the top 15 in rushing yards. Entering this week’s games, Dowdle was fourth, Dallas’ Javonte Williams was fifth and Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs was 13th.

The Packers defense held Gibbs in check, only allowing him to rush for 19 yards, but Williams had 85 yards and a touchdown in their Week 4 matchup.

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) rushes the ball against Green Bay Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Wooden is going into Monday’s game with no injury tag, which is a breath of fresh air for the Packers’ run defense. Led by Wooden, it will be up to Green Bay’s defensive line to stay in their gaps and get off blocks.

“That’s hard to do every play because they’re so big and strong up front,” Hafley said. “It’s going to take phenomenal effort and technique and fundamentals and the details, which I thought we were kinda off a little bit last week, maybe woke us up a little bit to how detailed we’re going to have to be in this game to play against them, this back, and this offensive line.”

With the Packers’ offense going into an adjustment period after losing Tucker Kraft, the defense is going to have to be at its best. The Panthers proved last week that when the Packers’ offense can be stopped, especially in the red zone, it doesn’t take a high scoring game or 600 total yards of offense to win. All they needed was 13 points and 265 yards.

If the Packers struggle to stop Barkley, the Eagles may not even have to involve their explosive passing game that much, which has the talent to be dangerous, as well, with receivers DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown catching passes from Jalen Hurts, who has 15 touchdowns and only one interception.

“That’s going to be the biggest thing, I think, this week, is stopping that run,” safety Xavier McKinney said, “and if we could do that, I think we could be pretty successful, but that’s the No. 1 key for us.”

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