PHILADELPHIA — Saquon Barkley’s debut season with the Philadelphia Eagles was a dream, making history and finishing on the highest of highs last February.
But on Sunday night, Barkley’s second season in Philadelphia ended with him having a “hard time” sleeping after an NFC Wild Card loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
On Monday, Barkley found himself at a somber NovaCare Complex — cleaning out his locker, saying good-bye to teammates and reflecting on a disappointing year.
“I felt like I was great at times, but not consistent enough,” Barkley said. “That was a theme for our team and especially the offense. You have the mindset that you think you can get to the playoffs and you’re going turn it on, just figure it out. And that wasn’t the case.”
Barkley played well against the 49ers, rushing for 106 yards on 26 carries. But a heavy dose of No. 26 wasn’t enough to overcome the offensive issues that plagued the Eagles on Sunday — and all season long, for that matter.
Kevin Patullo’s play-calling failed to find a rhythm. Jalen Hurts completed only 20 of 35 passes for 168 yards. A.J. Brown and the receivers had a few drops. And the Eagles punted on four of five drives from the middle of the second quarter through the early fourth quarter. During that stretch, half of Barkley’s rushing attempts went for a loss.
“It just wasn’t connecting. It wasn’t clicking,” Barkley said. “You just have the belief that when it matters most, we can get it right. … But we didn’t get the job done.”
It was a familiar feeling for Barkley and a familiar sight for fans, watching last year’s NFL Offensive Player of the Year get hit in the backfield and grind for extra yards.
Nothing came easy for Barkley in 2025. He rushed for 1,140 yards, which ranked 10th in the league. Not bad by any means, but not nearly as explosive as he was in 2024.
Barkley had only three 100-yard performances after racking up 11 last year en route to becoming just the ninth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season.
Barkley doesn’t believe the pressure of living up to that high standard had anything to do with his up-and-down year. He doesn’t believe the pressure of defending a Super Bowl had anything to do with the Eagles falling short, either.
Barkley was asked if the injuries on the offensive line played a factor in it being a choppy year running the ball. Lane Johnson missed eight straight games while Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens played through pain. But he batted that away as the primary culprit.
“There are so many things,” Barkley said. “I really do wish there was just one thing I could point to. It would be a lot easier. But that’s just not the case.”
Barkley maintained a similar stance on Patullo and the blame the embattled first-year offensive coordinator has taken all year and in the aftermath of Sunday’s loss.
“You have to point the finger at one person. That’s what you guys have to do in your job,” Barkley said, looking around at the group of reporters. “Somebody’s gotta catch the blame, especially when we had the season we had the year before. Do I think that’s fair? No, I don’t think that’s fair at all.
“I’ll be the first to say it. Did I play to the level I played at last year? I don’t think so. So I let him down. I let my teammates down. It’s a group thing.”
A group thing that Barkley is determined to fix ahead of next season — a season he hopes ends differently than Monday’s sobering scene at the NovaCare Complex.
“If we think that there was one problem or we think that there was one reason why we weren’t successful as a team and why we weren’t successful as an offense, and we had nothing to do with it, no matter what happens we’re going to be in the same position next year,” Barkley said. “We need to learn from our mistakes. We’ve got to learn from it and be better. Not let things slide. Hold each other accountable and use this as fuel for next season.”
