Let's face it: it has not been an excellent season for Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, but it also hasn't been a horrible season.
Barkley had the impossible task of trying to follow up from having a 2,005-yard and 13-touchdown season on the ground in 2024, which was always going to be incredibly tough to do. That ended up being the case with him rushing for 940 yards and six touchdowns in 14 games.
The three-time Pro Bowler still has a lot in front of him as he can still eclipse 1,000 yards rushing for the fifth time in his career. Barkley isn't overlooking that achievement and has every intention of finishing the season strong.
"Anytime you rush for 1,000 yards, it’s a big deal," Barkley said via The Athletic's Zach Berman. "The year hasn’t went, consistency-wise, the way I had last year or kind of how predicted because of how I train, how I work. But sometimes that’s how the game goes. But my mindset is I can still have the impact on the season I want to, and that’s finishing up the season strong and going to the playoffs. That’s what matters the most. All of that is still in front of me."
Barkley has his sights on ending the season the right way
As of the end of Week 15, Barkley is averaging just 3.9 yards per game, which would tie the second-lowest of his NFL career in a season when playing more than 10 games in a season. He's also only produced two 100-yard games this season against the New York Giants and the Los Angeles Chargers.
The big runs just haven't come for him, as the two games where he had over 100 yards are the only games this season in which he had 50+-yard touchdown runs. There were only six games this season in which he averaged over four yards per carry.
Barkley's wide-open running lanes haven't been as open as they were last year. The offensive line, banged up and lacking the continuity it had in 2024, has played a significant role in that.
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The season is still out ahead for Barkley as he can still finish strong with over 1,000 yards and get his team into the postseason. Whether he can make the same kind of impact in the playoffs he did last year is another question.