Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley had some praise for his quarterback, Jalen Hurts, while throwing some unwanted criticism and shade at his offensive coordinator, Kevin Patullo.
After another anemic offensive performance in their devastating 21-17 loss against the Denver Broncos, Barkley let the media in on a secret. He stated that it was Hurts who drew up the play that resulted in him scoring his only score. Hurts hit Barkley deep on a 47-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter to give them a 17-3 lead in the third quarter.
Every Eagles fans can't help but question what Patullo does in Philly
Barkley had a decent Week 5 performance; however, he only managed to record eight touches for 88 yards (47 of them coming on his touchdown reception). The Eagles as a team only ran the ball eleven times, going to the air 38 times (44 drop-backs), and getting sacked six times. In a season that has been consistently under scrutiny due to poor offensive output, Sunday's loss doesn't instill much confidence in the Eagles' offense moving forward.
Much of the criticism has fallen on first-year offensive coordinator Patullo. Going into Week 5, the Eagles' offense has ranked in the bottom three of the league in multiple major offensive categories. Despite recording 280 yards through the air, Philadelphia managed only a pedestrian 45 rushing yards in the loss.
While the Eagles are 4-1, it's no secret that the team has been winning despite Patullo, rather than with him. Barkley's comment was most likely more directed at praising Hurts rather than throwing "shade" at Patullo. Regardless of his intent, with Eagles fans looking for someone to blame for the fact that a player (even if it's the franchise quarterback) is creating more success (scheme-wise) than the offensive coordinator, it could be perceived as extremely troublesome or even problematic.
Read more: Saquon Barkley didn't hold back when asked about lack of touches in Broncos loss
The Eagles are far from panic mode, as they sit at the top of the NFC. With 12 more games to play this season, the team has the luxury of time and a lighter schedule to continue to "figure it out" moving forward. The Eagles go into Week 6 against the 1-4 Giants, who are in their third game of the Jaxson Dart era.