After suffering their first loss on Sunday to the Denver Broncos, the Philadelphia Eagles are already back at the practice facility on Monday to prepare for their Thursday night matchup against the New York Giants.
One of the biggest talking points coming out of Sunday’s loss was the offense, which lacked balance. Offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo dialed up more passing plays for A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, but only ran the ball nine times with running backs, which is not a recipe for success.
That being said, the Eagles might have to lean on A.J. Brown more later this week, as Saquon Barkley has landed on the injury report. On Monday, Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reported that Barkley was listed as a non-participant because of a knee injury.
This is notable to start the week, as the superstar running back didn’t look bothered by a knee injury in Sunday’s loss to the Broncos. Barkley only had six carries and nine touches overall, but still played 44 offensive snaps, which were coincidentally the fewest he had this season.
However, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported that the Eagles’ superstar running back is dealing with general soreness from Sunday’s game, but fully expects to play on Thursday.
Saquon Barkley Injury News Could Create More Opportunities for Eagles’ Passing Game
Eagles fans are taking a huge sigh of relief knowing that Barkley is only dealing with soreness and should be set to go later this week. However, knowing that the veteran playmaker had a huge workload in 2024 (378 touches), the Eagles might try to lean more on the passing game, which is good news for Brown and Smith.
Heading into Thursday night’s game, the Giants’ defense has allowed the eighth-most passing yards per game (237.2). In their loss to the New Orleans Saints, New York’s defense gave up a huge 87-yard touchdown catch to wideout Rashid Shaheed, who finished with four receptions for 114 yards.
Meanwhile, Chris Olave had seven receptions for 59 yards in the win. The Saints’ WR unit is nowhere near the same level as Philadelphia’s, despite its struggles to find consistency through the air.
Patullo might see that as an opportunity for Brown and Smith to attack the Giants’ defense. The former needs a huge performance after seeing how things played out against Denver and what he posted on social media after Week 4.
Even with a healthy Barkley, Patullo still might gear the game plan more toward Brown and the passing game based on the matchups. And if that’s the case, the star wideout can’t mess up the opportunity to change the narrative about himself and the offense.