PHILADELPHIA – Four times, Saquon Barkley lost yards when he took a handoff in Sunday’s 31-0 win over the Raiders. The Eagles never relented. Head coach Nick Sirianni and offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo kept dialing up the run, and Barkley tied for his second-most carries of the season with 22 in the win over the Raiders on Sunday.
It helped that the Eagles didn’t commit any foolish penalties on first down, so they didn’t get behind the sticks. It also helped that they weren’t playing from behind. What’s helping most perhaps is that the Eagles, schematically, might have figured things out on the ground.
“You have to give credit to KP (Patullo) and those guys for sticking with it,” said Barkley. “We had some negative runs, but I feel like that helps where even though we have some negative runs, some muddy runs, sticking with it and let us get rolling helped he offense today. So, shout out to those guys for trusting in it. We have to continue to make it work.”
The Eagles seem to have realized that having Jalen Hurts line up under center is better for the offense. They operated out of that formation 30 times against Las Vegas, according to TruMedia, which is the most in any regular season or playoff game with Sirianni in charge.
In the shotgun, the Eagles are averaging 5.6 yards. Under center, the number rises to 10.5 yards. The Toal Quarterback Rating (QBR) is also markedly better, with Hurts at 38.4 in the shot gun vs. 60.8 under center.
Dec 14, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) runs the ball during the second quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
The Eagles ran for 183 yards against Las Vegas. They had 134 in the loss against the Chargers. Barkley has put up 78 yards in three quarters against the Raiders – he sat out the fourth in the blowout win – and averaged 3.5 yards per carry. Against the Chargers, he ran for 122 yards and a 6.1 yards per carry average.
“We had negative runs, but we had a lot of good runs in there, too, so I feel it’s easier to continue to run called runs when you’re popping runs,” said Barkley about the running game against the Raiders. “I have to do a better job of eliminating negative runs and the ones where you can’t do much; I have to find a way to make a negative three into a zero. But I don’t think it was a game set of we’re going to come in and do this. We went with the flow of the game, and they did a really good job calling it.”
Again, Barkley credited the coaches. That’s where it has to start. They can’t abandon the run game no matter how bad it looks, how many penalties they have, or how many points they trail by.
They gave up on it against the Cowboys. Even though they led 21-0, Barkley had just 10 runs. Against the Bears, he had 13. Against the Broncos, the Eagles led 17-3 but lost, and Barkley had just six carries.
“I just felt like we had a mindset and we stuck with it,” said Barkley. “We didn’t let the defense dictate what we do. You could feel it. I know we have a good offensive line, so we have to keep continuing to get opportunities and lean on those guys up front and something’s gonna open up. I feel that happened.
“Our running game might now always be ripping 20-plus runs, but it just opens up everything. I feel like we did that and it’s something we can still improve on and build on.”
There’s even more good news pertaining to the run game.
First, Lane Johnson is expected to return to practice this week, based on a Sunday report from NFL Media. The right tackle has missed the last four games with a Lisfranc injury.
Second, quarterback Jalen Hurts could be getting more involved in the run game, something that hasn’t happened much this season. He had seven runs for 39 yards and picked up three first downs with his legs on third down scampers.
“I think he did a really good job,” said Barkley. “Some of them were reads, some of them were a feel, but it helps open things up. It’s like playing basketball. You start making some layups it opens up other parts of the game. I felt like it helped the offense.”
More NFL: Zack Baun Among 10 Thoughts From Eagles’ Blowout Of Raiders