It took the Eagles eight weeks to deliver the kind of dominant display the fans had expected from the defending Super Bowl champions in Week 1. Their 38-20 win over the New York Giants was their most impressive offensive display this season.
However, just at the peak of their dominance, Saquon Barkley picked up a groin injury. Though his injury didn’t affect the game as much, the real concern is how this impacts the Eagles’ season moving forward. Nonetheless, recent reports from NFL Network suggest that the star running back could be back as soon as he is needed.
The Eagles extended their record in the NFC East to 6-2 on Sunday with a huge win over rivals New York Giants. The victory came in style, as the Eagles’ offense looked more like what the fans wanted to see. Jalen Hurts threw for four touchdowns on just 20 passing yards, while Saquon Barkley had his personal best performance this season, rushing for 150 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.
And while all of these went on in front of the jubilant Philadelphia fans, Barkley’s injury interrupted their celebrations and sent shockwaves across Lincoln Financial Field.
Fortunately, Barkley’s absence wasn’t damaging, as Tank Bigsby showed he was up to the task in Barkley’s absence, rushing for 104 yards on just nine carries. Yet, there have been concerns about Barkley’s long-term fitness.
According to a recent report from Ian Rappaport of NFL Network, there were chances that Barkley would have been reintroduced into the game if the New York Giants showed some more competitiveness. And his prolonged time out was because the game wasn’t competitive enough for such a risk.
"Saquon Barkley, you saw the big run there," Rapoport said. "He had another big day for the Philadelphia Eagles. He left the game with a groin injury. My understanding is had the game been a little closer, it is likely that Saquon would've returned. That is an indication that it is not a major injury and really not something to worry about for the Philadelphia Eagles. The bye is coming so Saquon, you would think, would be okay with that groin injury."
Barkley addressed his injury just after the game when asked whether he had any concerns about his status for the team's Week 10 matchup. He gave a very uncertain response, "No, I don't. No, I mean, no. I don't. No, I don't have the answer. I really don't know."
However, he claimed it was a familiar feeling that shouldn’t cause any concern.
"I wasn't worried about it," he told reporters. "I came off, but I've dealt with this before. Nothing crazy."
With the hopes of getting Saquon Barkley back after the bye week, the Eagles face the Green Bay Packers next on Nov. 11.
