The Philadelphia Eagles avenged a Week 6 loss to the New York Giants with an emphatic 38-20 win on Sunday behind a stout rushing attack. Quarterback Jalen Hurts threw a season-high four TDs and completed 75% of his passes, but it was the two-headed ground game of Saquon Barkley and Tank Bigsby that was the most encouraging.
Barkley led the way with 14 carries for 150 yards and a TD before an injury scare in the third quarter, but the 23-year-old Bigsby was equally impressive. He racked up a season-high 104 yards on just nine carries, highlighted by a 29-yard gain on a 2nd and 26 in the fourth quarter.
Since being acquired in a trade that sent him from the Jacksonville Jaguars to the Eagles on Sept. 9, Bigsby had done little to impress with one carry for 11 yards against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 7. Until Sunday, he had been behind RBs AJ Dillon and Will Shipley on the depth chart, but with only 88 combined yards between the two and zero TDs, Bigsby has elevated himself to RB2 behind Barkley, making for a realistic trade scenario involving Dillon.
New York Giants rookie sensation Cam Skattebo suffered a season-ending dislocated ankle in Sunday's loss to the Eagles, leaving the Giants with a huge hole to fill. With Bigsby looking like a legitimate RB2 and no more games between the two NFC East rivals after their second meeting on Sunday, trading Dillon could make sense and give Bigsby more time to get acclimated to a potential increased load as Philadelphia heads into its Week 9 bye.
Tank Bigsby Has Surpassed AJ Dillon as Philadelphia's Clear Backup to Saquon Barkley
When Bigsby first joined the Eagles, his role was on kickoffs. However, after struggles fielding the ball, Dillon took over, only to experience similar issues and fumble on a running play. After being a healthy scratch in Week 7, Dillon did not get a single carry or play an offensive snap in a game for the first time this season on Sunday, and Bigsby took full advantage to put him on notice entering the team's bye. Dillon has not played poorly by any means, but the fumble, combined with his trailing in efficiency, is nowhere near what Bigsby has shown thus far.
Player | Games | Touches | Yards per Touch | PFF Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
AJ Dillon | 5 | 14 | 5.6 | 54.0 |
Tank Bigsby | 7 | 11 | 10.4 | 92.0 |
The kickoff returns did not work out in his favor, but Bigsby has shown why he was a third-round draft pick in 2023 with this second opportunity he has been given. While Shipley has found some success on returns, Dillon, who had 16 TDs during his time with the Green Bay Packers, has not looked nearly as explosive since missing all of last season with a neck injury. With an average of 11.5 yards per carry in limited action so far, Bigsby has provided a clear spark for the Eagles' offense and looks like the clear choice for RB2.
As the Eagles head into their bye before facing the Packers in a huge Week 10 showdown on Monday Night Football, there is a clear path toward a trade before then, especially considering the experience and past success that Dillon brings. Whether that turns out to be the case or not, Bigsby has more than done enough so far to give Philadelphia enough confidence in his ability and could make an already formidable backfield that much stronger for the second half of the season.