One of the more popular questions the Eagles were asked during this offseason was this: What are you going to do if opposing defenses start focusing more on shutting down Saquon Barkley?
It’s likely to happen because Barkley became the ninth running back in NFL history to rush for more than 2,000 yards last season and the Eagles rode their potent rushing attack to the second Super Bowl title in franchise history.
Barkley, on his way to rushing for an NFL record 2,504 yards between the regular season and playoffs, ran for more than 100 yards in 14 of the Eagles’ 20 games. The Eagles went 13-1 in those games and 5-2 in the games he didn’t rush for more than 100.
The two losses came in the first four games of the season.
“Where we’re at in the playbook right now is we’re trying to get everything ironed out,” Barkley said last week after the Eagles’ final offseason workout. “But whatever it looks like, that’s what it’s going to look like and the most important thing is winning football games.
“If we’ve got to adapt and look at things in a different way, then we’re all willing to do that. And if we have to win in the same way, we’re all willing to do that, too. That’s the stuff you build in training camp when you grow with each other, but the most important thing is winning football games. No one knows how it’s going to look, but we do know we’re going to go out there and do all we can to win.”
What’s interesting when looking back at last season is that when Barkley didn’t rush for 100 yards last season, quarterback Jalen Hurts typically elevated his game. In those six games, Hurts completed 71.1% of his passes (113-for-159) for 1,368 yards with 10 touchdowns and three interceptions for a 110.3 passer rating. He averaged 228 yards passing per game.
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By contrast, Hurts threw for 177.8 yards per game when Barkley rushed for more than yards. His passer rating in those games was 102.4 and his completion percentage was 68.3.
Hurts’ numbers are even better if you remove the Eagles’ two early losses when the offense was still struggling to find its identity. In the final four games that Barkley didn’t rush for 100 yards, Hurts completed 72.7% of his passes for eight touchdowns with two interceptions. He had a passer rating of 121.5.
The Eagles’ quarterback was also a more effective runner in the games when Barkley did not rush for 100 yards, carrying the ball 68 times for 311 yards and six touchdowns. He averaged 4.7 yards per carry and 51.8 yards per game.
In the games when Barkley did rush for 100 yards with Hurts on the field, the QB ran 116 times for 513 yards and 12 touchdowns. He averaged 4.4 yards per carry and 39.5 yards per game.
It’s well documented that the Eagles took a long look at the offense during their Week 5 bye last season and concluded that a heavier dose of Barkley needed to be added to the mix.
It worked amazingly well.
During a sideline moment at the Super Bowl when the Eagles knew that a victory was secure, Hurts turned to Barkley and said, “Hey, man, that’s you.”
“That’s all of us,” Barkley told Hurts.
“I know it’s all of us, but you don’t understand the difference that you made,” Hurts said. “We were right there, but you were like that last piece, man.”
The quarterback reiterated those feelings after the team’s final offseason workout.
“He stepped in and played a big role for us and added a new dynamic and element to our run game,” Hurts said. “I really think he complements everything we do very well. We complement each other well. He’s a hell of a player.”
That’s true, but the notion that teams will be able to beat the Eagles in 2025 if they can simply slow down Barkley is likely a faulty one. The Eagles finished third in the league in points at 28.1 per game in 2022 when they went to the Super Bowl. They averaged 27.2 per game last season, which was seventh in the league.
The Chiefs, hellbent on not letting Barkley beat them, held the star running back to 57 rushing yards and 2.3 yards per carry in the Super Bowl. The Eagles’ offense still put up 34 points with Hurts completing 77.3% of his passes for 221 passing yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 72 yards and a touchdown.
“They have to pick their poison,” Hurts said. “It’s just a matter of going out there and executing ... and when somebody gets the opportunity to make something happen, then make it happen.”
Hurts proved last season that when teams decided that they weren’t going to let Barkley beat them that he and the rest of the offense were good enough to beat them anyway, especially with the best defense in football also on their side.
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Bob Brookover can be reached at rbrookover@njadvancemedia.com