Barkley Active for Eagles-Cowboys Clash as Hurts Misses Rest of Season
The Eagles welcome back their star running back on Monday night despite losing their quarterback and top wide receiver to injuries.
By Nathan Reed ·
Saquon Barkley is active and expected to play for the Philadelphia Eagles in their Monday night matchup against the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field.
The Eagles face a stark lineup change for the Week 7 contest. Quarterback Jalen Hurts is set to miss the remainder of the season after doctors found blood clots in his lungs. Wide receiver DeVonta Smith has also been ruled out with a hamstring injury. Barkley, however, has cleared the final hurdles to return to the field after dealing with his own hamstring trouble.
Barkley was listed as questionable for the game earlier in the week. He returned to practice as a limited participant on Thursday and Friday before becoming a full participant on Saturday. His return marks the first time he has been fully available in weeks.
Barkley has handled a limited workload this season. He rushed for 182 yards and zero touchdowns in four appearances. In half of those games, he played on fewer than 16% of offensive snaps. A stinger sustained in the Week 2 game against the Tennessee Titans and a hamstring pull during the Week 4 meeting with the Los Angeles Rams kept him off the field for most of the season.
The statistical disparity between Barkley and the rest of the Eagles backfield is clear. Barkley averaged 5.1 yards per carry on 36 attempts. Other Eagles running backs averaged 2.8 yards on 71 tries. Last week against the Carolina Panthers, the team gave the ball to Dameon Pierce 12 times, gaining 35 yards and scoring one touchdown.
The offense has struggled with these absences. The Eagles have averaged fewer than 4.0 yards per play over the last three games, a stretch that has not happened since 1999. The team has been out-gained by an average of 108.3 total yards per game this season, the worst mark in the NFL.
The Eagles have won four straight home games against Dallas, a streak tied for the second-longest in franchise history. They have also won seven of their last eight primetime home contests.
Source: CBS Sports
