Historic 2024 run game fades fast

Saquon Barkley rushed for an NFL-leading 2,005 yards in 2024 and eclipsed 100 yards 14 times in 20 games. Through 19 games since, he's hit 100 yards just four times.

First play tells the whole story

On the Eagles' opening drive against Tennessee, Barkley took a handoff on a basic inside run, found no hole, and collided with his own lineman before getting tackled for no gain and a shoulder injury.

Barkley limited by injury and line

Barkley managed just nine yards on four carries against the Titans before exiting with a shoulder stinger. Backups Tank Bigsby and Will Shipley combined for 31 yards on 20 carries.

Running backs average 2.7 yards per carry

Eagles running backs totaled 65 rushing yards on 24 carries against Tennessee, a stark contrast to the Jets, who gained 152 yards on the ground against the same defense in Week 1.

Week 1 also exposed run game struggles

Against Washington, a 42-yard Barkley run masked another weak performance. He managed just 41 yards on his other 14 carries, showing the problem isn't just one game.

Ranked 17th in rushing yards per attempt

Through two weeks, the Eagles average 3.95 yards per run, 17th in the NFL. Running backs specifically average 3.71 yards per carry, well below what a championship offense needs.

First down runs averaging just 3.2 yards

The Eagles averaged 4.0 yards on first down against Tennessee, but just 3.2 yards on first-down runs specifically. Remove two Hollywood Brown end-arounds and that drops to 2.5 yards.

Early downs versus late downs gap widens

Philadelphia has the largest difference between early-down and late-down offensive success rates to start a season since 2022. Early downs: 31.5 percent. Late downs: 60.6 percent.

Cam Jurgens moves to left guard

Center Cam Jurgens made his left guard debut against Tennessee while backup Drew Kendall started at center. Landon Dickerson remains out with injury and hasn't played at Pro Bowl level since 2024.

“I feel like I'm going to learn a lot from this game.”

Jurgens battles All-Pro Simmons

In his first game at left guard, Jurgens faced All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, who recorded a sack, three quarterback hits, and a tackle for loss while driving the Eagles' center backward repeatedly.

Goedert knee injury adds to woes

Tight end Dallas Goedert, a key piece of the ground game, left early in the second quarter with a knee injury and didn't return, further limiting blocking options.

Sirianni noncommittal on lineup changes

After the game, coach Nick Sirianni wouldn't commit to keeping the same starting five up front, saying only "We'll see" when asked about future adjustments.

“"We'll see"”

Hurts heroics mask deeper problems

Jalen Hurts' 65-yard touchdown drive in the final moments gave the Eagles a 24-20 win, but it covered up a dismal run game that couldn't generate first-down yards when it mattered most.

Can Eagles rediscover their dominance?

The Eagles must solve a question that's haunted them for over a year: will they ever get back to the lethal ground game that powered their 2024 Super Bowl run?