Should Saquon Barkley have had more than 10 carries in Eagles’ blowout loss to Buccaneers?

Should Saquon Barkley have had more than 10 carries in Eagles’ blowout loss to Buccaneers? originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The good news? Saquon Barkley averaged 8.4 yards per carry.

The bad news? He only had 10 carries.

Barkley came into the Eagles-Buccaneers game averaging an NFL-best 5.6 yards per carry, and the Bucs came into the game with the 28th-ranked run defense, allowing 4.9 yards per carry.

What a mismatch.

Wrong.

Barkley got only two carries on the Eagles’ first three possessions – all 3-and-outs – and didn’t get a carry on first down until the Eagles trailed by 24 points.

He ran 59 yards on the first play of the third quarter to set up Jalen Hurts’ rushing TD, but he only got one more carry the rest of the game.

Should the NFL rushing leader and early MVP candidate have had more than 10 carries?

On the one hand, the game got away from the Eagles quickly, and it’s hard to run the ball a whole lot when you’re down 24-0.

On the other hand, if play caller Kellen Moore had gotten Barkley involved earlier, maybe the game wouldn’t have gotten away from the Eagles as quickly.

“It’s easy for me to sit here and be like, ‘Oh, I need this many touches or that many touches,’” Barkley said post-game at Raymond James Stadium after the Bucs’ 33-16 win. “But at the end of the day, my job is to run the football and when my number is called, I try to make the play.

“We have all the trust in Kellen. He’s been doing a great job this year, and we’re going to continue to grow and get better.”

The Eagles’ first three drives went 3-and-out, and when they got the ball for their fourth drive they were down 24-0.

Barkley got the ball on the Eagles’ first two second-down plays, picking up zero and three yards. He didn’t get another carry until 6 ½ minutes left in the second quarter.

In all, he got four carries on first down and netted 74 yards.

Without A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, Barkley and Goedert were really the Eagles’ only legit…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/saquon-barkley-had-more-10-133108318.html

Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia

Publish date : 2024-09-30 13:31:08

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