Eagles leave bye week staring at a brutal Saquon Barkley reality
Every Philadelphia Eagles fan was excited to see their star running back, Saquon Barkley, bounce back massively with his performance in the team's 38-20 win over the New York Giants in Week 8.
Barkley needed one run (and two plays into the game) to break out his longest run of the season with a 65-yard score. He finished with a season-high 150 yards on 14 carries and one touchdown on the ground. Barkley also made four receptions for 24 yards and one touchdown catch.
It was the vintage game Eagles fans have been waiting for all season from Barkley, and they finally got it. The hope is that this is what Barkley needed to now have the type of season fans expect from him, but does it eliminate the struggles he has had all season?
Barkley has not had the type of season Eagles fans expected and needs to be consistent
When looking at the season in general, Barkley has struggled. He's rushed for 519 yards and four touchdowns, averaging just 4.1 yards per carry. Four times this season, Barkley has had games where he was averaging less than three yards per carry.
The Eagles' last game against the Giants was the first time all season he has rushed for over 100 yards in a game. His previous season-high was 88 yards back in Week 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
There's plenty that goes into some of the struggles of Barkley. For one, Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo has given up on him too quickly in games and doesn't give him the number of carries he needs. Only once this year has he had more than 20 carries in a game, and that was against the Chiefs earlier in the season.
Injuries to the offensive line haven't helped matters either, with Landon Dickerson not being 100% and missing time. Lane Johnson has also left multiple games early with injuries. Center Cam Jurgens did not play in the second Giants game.
Many Eagles fans are going to read all this and think this is meant to be a "negative" article. It's really not. Of course, we should celebrate the great game Barkley had against the Giants in Week 8, but it's just one game. He still has a long way to go to be fully back from his rough season.
Fans were caught up in the emotions of his great game, but how Barkley plays against one of the best teams in the NFL, the Green Bay Packers, will be a good test of where he truly is.
Falcons’ third straight loss somehow managed to break fans’ hearts all over again
This was a game the Atlanta Falcons should've won. It's the type of game that left the worst possible taste in fans' mouths, and it's not hard to see why. They had a golden opportunity to tie the game at 24 with under five minutes to play, but instead, the Falcons pulled a Falcons.
After a Drake London touchdown reception, Parker Romo missed the ensuing extra point, only amplifying to the kicker woes. Moreover, just a few minutes later, Michael Penix Jr. derailed a potential game-winning drive with a costly intentional grounding call that resulted in a punt rather than points.
Afterward, the defense failed to stop Drake Maye from putting the game on ice, as a third consecutive loss dropped the Dirty Birds to 3-5. After last weekend's disaster against the Dolphins, Atlanta responded admirably against the surging New England Patriots, but it's clear that it wasn't enough.
Falcons missed way too many opportunities to upset the Patriots in Foxborough
In his return to the lineup, Penix completed 22-of-37 passes for 221 yards and a season-high three passing touchdowns—all of which went to London. After Kirk Cousins looked like a fossil in his stead in Week 8, the second-year quarterback put all rumblings of a quarterback controversy to rest.
However, that doesn't mean there weren't growing pains. For the second time in three games, a grounding call prevented Atlanta from adding points in a crucial moment. While it held less bearing against the 49ers in Week 7, it made the difference between 4-4 and 3-5 this afternoon.
While Bijan Robinson failed to surpass 100 scrimmage yards for the third consecutive game, London was the star of the show for Zac Robinson's offense.
The 24-year-old caught nine passes for 118 yards and three scores, while his basketball background paid off in matchups with Marcus Jones and Christian Gonzalez. London may have missed Week 8, but he's making his case for a long-term extension clear for Terry Fontenot.
Not only did the offense looked improved, the defense fared pretty well against a red-hot Drake Maye. Maye was sacked six times and turned the ball over twice, but the second-year gunslinger was the first quarterback to surpass 250 passing yards against Jeff Ulbrich's defense this season.
Luckily, Ulbrich's unit kept New England's run game in check with Rhamondre Stevenson sidelined, but it didn't matter. Almost everything went right, but they still managed to fall on the road. It's even more deflating knowing an overseas trip to Berlin against the Colts is on the docket in Week 10.
And if Raheem Morris doesn't right the ship and rid the Falcons of these minor mistakes, he might be out of a job soon.
