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Eagles, Saquon Barkley, Return to Form With Dominant Win Over New York Giants

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After losing to the New York Giants in embarrassing fashion a couple of weeks ago, the Philadelphia Eagles responded in resounding fashion in Week 8. Led by Saquon Barkley, the Birds made a statement, looking a lot like the 2024 Eagles. The Eagles needed a dominant win heading into their Bye Week, and that’s exactly what they got. After struggles to start the season, the Eagles finally look like they are trending in the right direction.

Eagles, Saquon Barkley, Return to Form With Dominant Win Over New York Giants

Return of the Eagles’ Run Game

Throughout the first seven games of the season, the run game looked like a shell of its 2024 self. The offensive line hadn’t looked as sharp, while Barkley hasn’t been nearly as explosive. That was not the case in Week 8, though. From the first handoff of the game, Barkley exploded for a 65-yard touchdown, showing everyone he hasn’t lost a step.

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Before this play, Barkley’s longest run of the season had been 18 yards. After explosive runs all of last season, Eagles fans everywhere had been anxiously awaiting a long run from Barkley. He ended the day with 14 carries for 150 yards and a touchdown, also logging four receptions for 24 yards and another touchdown. Barkley did all of this in just three quarters as well, as he exited the game with a groin injury on the final play of the third quarter. He was held out of the game out of precaution, indicating that after the game, he would have been able to return if the score had been closer.
Tank Bigsby also contributed massively to the run game. He finished the game with nine carries for 104 yards. His biggest run of the day came on a 2nd and 26, where he exploded for 29 yards.

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Many of the problems the Eagles have been having offensively can be attributed to the run game struggling. This game was a great example of when the run game gets going, the offense looks great as a whole. If Saquon Barkley and the offensive line can continue trending in the right direction, it will solve a lot of the issues regarding the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense.

Jalen Hurts: MVP?

Jalen Hurts played his worst game of the season in their first matchup with the Giants. He has been excellent ever since then, though. Hurts finished the game with 179 yards passing and four touchdowns. He had another game with an outstanding passer rating of 141.5. The Eagles needed Hurts to return to form for the offense to flourish, and that’s exactly what happened.

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Hurts is also quietly building a resume of an MVP candidate. Through eight games, Hurts has 1,884 total yards, 20 total touchdowns, and just two turnovers. While he has had a few down moments, so has every other MVP candidate. Hurts may not win the award, but he definitely deserves to be in the conversation at this point in the season.

The Defense is Taking a Step Forward

The Eagles’ defense has also shown signs of improvement over the last few weeks. Similarly to Hurts, they had their worst outing of the season in their first matchup with the Giants. They have responded very well since then and have shown real signs of optimism.
The biggest difference from the defense lately has been the improved play of the defensive line. Players like Jalyx Hunt and Joshua Uche have played very well, and it has transformed the defense as a whole. They brought Jaxson Dart down for a sack five times, and had the opportunity for more if it wasn’t for missed tackles. Given the questions around the edge rushers nearing the trade deadline, it may not be as big a need as originally thought. After the Bye Week, Nolan Smith and Azeez Ojulari are expected to return from injury, while Brandon Graham is expected to be added to the rotation for a huge matchup with the Green Bay Packers. Although they still could look to add to the position before the trade deadline, the improved play and forthcoming additions could give them a reason to stay put and trust the players they have.
Main Image: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

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