Now 8-5, the Eagles have reached the juncture of the season where identity matters more than aesthetics, and that identity should once again flow through Saquon Barkley.
Week 14 in Los Angeles was a reminder -- and an emphatic one -- that Barkley remains the most potent offensive force on the roster when volume and rhythm align. 20 carries for 122 yards, a touchdown, and a Chargers defense that spent the evening absorbing body blow after body blow before the overtime finish. Even in defeat, though, the formula was unmistakable.
For Barkley, 2025 hasn't been the historic encore many expected after Barkley’s 2,005-yard Offensive Player of the Year campaign last fall. The explosive runs have been more sporadic, the usage more inconsistent, and the Eagles’ offensive balance less defined. But what remains undeniable is the gravitational effect Barkley has on a defense when he is fed with intention.
Eagles must give Barkley the ball more to close the final four games of the season
Philadelphia can't afford to drift away from it now -- not with the NFC East hanging in the balance and four weeks separating them from either a division crown or a chaotic finish.
Because for Philadelphia, they win when their offense is layered, physical, and multidimensional. And Barkley is the only player on the roster capable of forcing that style upon an opponent.
It's not by putting the ball in Jalen Hurts' hands to lead you to a win. And when Barkley becomes the engine, everything else becomes cleaner. The offensive line settles into tempo. Play-action finds its teeth. Quick-game spacing expands. Defenses hesitate... the offense breathes.
The final month of the year demands that kind of clarity, as divisional football is defined by attrition, not finesse. Barkley is built for that stretch -- constructed to explain it. His yards after contact, his ability to churn out hidden yardage, and his capacity to convert second-and-eight into third-and-manageable are not luxuries; they are mechanisms for controlling game flow.
Philadelphia’s current volatility on offense is precisely why leaning into Barkley is not optional. It is necessary.
For HC Nick Sirianni, he doesn't need Barkley to replicate last year’s statistical explosion. They need him to dictate terms. Because when he touches the ball 25 times, the offense stabilizes. When he becomes a threat, defenses must overplay. Philadelphia’s schematic menu widens.
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When the game tilts toward December football -- cold weather, shrinking possessions, heavier boxes -- Barkley is the one player who can absorb that environment and still elevate.