No one would argue Saquon Barkley's talent.
But the Philadelphia Eagles' running back may not be quite as important to Philly as most people would think.
That was true even a bit last year, even in a 2,000-yard season. The Eagles won the Super Bowl in dominant fashion even as Barkley didn't do a ton.
Now this season, Barkley's stats in wins and losses don't differ all that much.
"Barkley is averaging 91.5 scrimmage yards in Eagles wins this season and 81.4 in losses," ESPN's Dan Graziano wrote on Tuesday. "He's averaging 3.9 yards per carry in wins and 4.7 in losses. Seven of his touchdowns have come in the Eagles' 11 wins, whereas he has five in losses. In other words, there doesn't seem to be evidence of a dramatic difference in Barkley's performance in wins versus his performance in losses."
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The reality, Graziano goes on to write, is that the Eagles are about Jalen Hurts.
And, well, of course they are. It's football. He's the quarterback. But the case is compelling, as well.
"Hurts, on the other hand, sees a great deal more variance," Graziano writes. "In Eagles wins, Hurts has a 64.2 QBR, a 5.1 completion percentage over expected (NFL Next Gen Stats), 19 touchdown passes and zero interceptions. In losses, he has a 38.2 QBR, a 0.1 CPOE, six touchdown passes and six interceptions. Just a lot of evidence to suggest that Philadelphia's success in 2025 is tied much more closely to Hurts' performance than it is to what Barkley does."
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For anyone who has watched the Eagles at length this season, there are definitely games where Hurts seems in control and others where he seems a bit out of whack.
Philadelphia will need the good version of Hurts to show up in the playoffs to have a chance of defending the Super Bowl title.
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