The Philadelphia Eagles are no longer undefeated. And even though the team is sitting on a league-best 4-1 record, the fans and the media don't seem to be too happy. Now, the discontent might have rubbed off on the players as well.
Following the 21-17 loss to the Denver Broncos, star running back Saquon Barkley voiced his frustration. The Eagles' superstar's quotes showed that there's a clear divide between himself and his receiver teammates, as Barkley just wants to win, while Philly's wideouts seem more concerned about opportunities.
Saquon Barkley Sounds Frustrated After Eagles' Week 5 Loss
"I don't really know what you want," Barkley said, per The Athletic's Zach Berman. "If I touch the ball too much sometimes, we're not throwing enough. If we throw it too much and I only have nine touches — I'm not in the business of, what are we doing enough? I'm in the business of winning football games. We didn't win the football game. With nine touches, we had the opportunity to win the football game still. We weren't detailed enough. Too many mistakes, too many penalties."
There are clearly two lines of thought there, and perhaps offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo just needs to find some balance. The usually run-heavy Eagles only ran the football eleven times against the Broncos, which was a testament to Broncos head coach Sean Payton's game plan and defensive coordinator Vance Joseph's outstanding job.
The Broncos played man coverage in nearly 30 percent of the snaps, essentially daring quarterback Jalen Hurts to do what he hadn't done all season: Beat them with his arm. The wide receivers finally got to eat a little, but the Eagles' best weapon was barely used, even when they were up two scores and needed to run out the clock.
Barkley finished the game with six carries for 30 yards, adding three catches for 58 yards and one touchdown. Despite the pass-heavy approach, he was still second on the team in receiving yards, far behind the eight receptions for 114 yards by DeVonta Smith.
The fans have complained about A.J. Brown's lack of usage and Patullo's predictable and stagnant offense, even in the losses. The standard is much higher for the defending Super Bowl Champions, and they should know that by now.
Regardless of whether the people want to see Brown dominate or Barkley putting up the same numbers he had last season, the aerial and ground groups are right about one thing: This offense hasn't been good enough, and a perfect balance must be found before things further spiral.