ClutchPoints
There’s no two ways about it, Week 5 was a death by a thousand cuts for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Part of it was playcalling, with Kevin Patullo opting for a pass-happy attack that once again failed to take advantage of the middle of the field or intermediate action. Part of it was execution, with AJ Brown slowing down on a would-be touchdown and the offensive line failing to produce up to their usual level once Landon Dickerson left the game. Part of it was great coaching calls from Sean Payton, whose decision to go for two down one, 17-16, may just change NFL strategy moving forward. And part of it still belonged to the officiating, with a number of penalties – or lack thereof – deciding the day’s drives one way or another.
And yet, despite all of those issues, the Eagles had a little over a minute to score a touchdown and might have accomplished the feat if Dallas Goedert had been correctly flagged for pass interference on the penultimate play of the game. The Eagles attacked the middle of the field when they should have been targeting the sidelines, were predictably defended on the outside by Vance Joseph’s very good defensive backs, and still put a viable Hail Mary in the air that came surprisingly close to being completed to DeVonta Smith and AJ Brown, considering they were basically parked in the exact same spot.
Fortunately, the Eagles have a chance to get things right in a major way in Week 6 when they drive a few miles up I-95 to the Meadowlands for Saquon Barkley Bowl III. Though the week may be short and Nick Sirianni doesn’t exactly have time to completely retool Philly’s offense in just four days, his team has drawn the perfect opponent to right the ship heading into Week 7 in the New York Giants, with a chance to gain some confidence heading into the middle portion of the season.
To say Saquon Barkley’s 2025 season hasn’t gone as planned would be an understatement.
Fresh off one of the best running back seasons of all time in 2024, breaking Terrell Davis’ full-season rushing record on the way to Little Caesars commercials, Madden Covers, and a Super Bowl ring, Barkley’s production has more than halfed versus his high-water mark, averaging just 53.4 yards per game months after averaging 125.3.
But what gives? Sure, opposing teams have Barkley at the top of their scouting reports, and have been keying in on how to prevent him from ripping off 30, 40, 50, or even longer touchdown runs all season long to very good results, but Barkley isn’t exactly taking advantage of the runs he’s receiving this year either, with his yards per carry dropping from 5.8 last season to just 3.2 this fall.
Fortunately, the Eagles are facing off against one of the worst run-defending teams in the NFL on Thursday Night Football in the Giants, who...
