Saquon Barkley returned for the Philadelphia Eagles in "Monday Night Football," but it wasn't enough to propel his team to a victory against the visiting Dallas Cowboys. Barkley, who missed two Eagles games with a hamstring injury, finished with seven carries for 62 yards and his first touchdown of the season. Despite additional touchdowns from backup running back Dameon Pierce and rookie receiver Makai Lemon, the Eagles couldn't keep up with Dak Prescott and the Cowboys.
Dallas prevailed 38-21, handing the Eagles their fifth straight loss of the NFL season. With the team seriously struggling, especially while relying on backup quarterback Tanner McKee, Barkley shared his thoughts on whether this season is salvageable. "The season and games call for different moments, and you know, we all got our roles changed a little bit," he told reporters in the locker room.
"It's not just me; I feel like a lot of guys are stepping to the plate, and the only way you gonna get out of this, and I said it earlier in the week, is by fighting and doing it together." More news: Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb Sends Blunt Message to Eagles After ‘MNF’ Win "Our leaders gotta step up, our young guys got to step up, gotta grow up fast. ... We're seeing little results of it but the big results aren't going the way we want it to go and the wins aren't going the way we want it to go, and it sucks, but it's the only way we gonna get out of it," Barkley said. After a running play in the first quarter, Barkley pulled up with a limp, seemingly favoring the leg affected by his hamstring injury.
He continued to play through the third quarter, but was sidelined for the entire fourth quarter, dealing with a back injury described as "compensatory" by PHLY Sports reporter EJ Smith. According to ESPN's Tim McManus, Barkley said the "hamstring came out great," and he didn't believe the back injury would prevent him from playing in his team's next game, on Sunday, Nov. 1, against the Washington Commanders. The "Sunday Night Football" matchup between the Eagles and Commanders features the NFC East's bottom two teams in the standings.
Jayden Daniels and the Commanders are also off to a rough 1-4-1 start, and Philadelphia is just above them in third place with a 2-5 record. Injuries to key players have been among the Eagles' biggest problems, particularly on offense, with quarterback Jalen Hurts expected to miss the remainder of the season after his diagnosis. Star receivers DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks missed Monday's game with injuries, and it's currently unclear if they'll be back for Sunday's game against Washington.
Some might say that the NFC East is still wide open for any team to win. The Eagles have two games against division rivals coming up, with the Commanders on Sunday, Nov. 1, followed by a Sunday, Nov. 8 game against the division-leading Giants. Those two games give Philadelphia a chance to gain much-needed momentum amid all their struggles, but as Barkley mentioned, other players will need to step up in the absence of their key players.
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