The vibes have certainly been better for the Philadelphia Eagles. Losers of two in a row, Philadelphia heads into a pivotal Monday Night Football contest with a fellow playoff contender.
There's only so much that can be said about fixing a team's morale. And, as the Eagles have gotten prepared for the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday night, running back Saquon Barkley knows it's time to put up or shut up, as they say.
"I feel like we're trending in the right direction form this week at practice," he told The Athletic's Zach Berman. "But the crazy thing about the NFL is the vibes and energy could be amazing, practice could be great, the game plan could be great. You got to go out there on Monday and do it. That's where we're at."
That just about sums it up, right there. Barkley isn't about to roll into this matchup with any false confidence. He knows it's about what they do on the field, and the fans are hoping to see all of those good vibes pay dividends.
Saquon Barkley makes it known that nothing else matters aside from getting a win
Eagles fans know this well. Over the course of the season, this fan base has spent countless hours defending their squad, which has continued to win football games despite not necessarily looking the part.
Offensively, the Eagles have been an embarrassment at times. Of course, there is a lot of blame to go around. Whether we're talking about offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, quarterback Jalen Hurts, or even head coach Nick Sirianni ... it is all warranted.
But, right about now, it's time for the Eagles to figure this out. Players and coaches who are asked about practices all throughout each week ... what's the point? At this stage, Barkley stated the blunt truth.
It doesn't matter how good they feel about practice, this late in the year, if they cannot go out and execute. Fans are sick and tired of watching this team under-perform week-in and week-out.
They are sick of seeing Patullo call halfback dives on second-and-long.
They are sick of seeing screens called in third-and-long situations.
They are sick of seeing Hurts miss a wide-open target.
And, last but not least, this fan base is sick of seeing their head coach not make any massive changes in order to address so many shortcomings on the offensive side of the ball.
Read more: Eagles fans' Xavier Gipson nightmare has finally come to an appropriate end
it is about time something changes. Will it? I suppose we'll find out.