Saquon Barkley didn’t mince words when discussing how recent reports about the Philadelphia Eagles have affected the players. The defending Super Bowl champions have been mentioned in troubling reports suggesting the relationship between quarterback Jalen Hurts and his teammates and coaches isn’t in the best place.
Barkley described the situation on the sideline as “awful” on Saturday, noting that whenever they practice and go to meetings, the vibe feels different. Barkley exhorted his teammates to bring that energy to the games.
“Honestly, I think it’s been awful,” Barkley said, per Jeff McLane. “Ask anybody, if they’re being honest, we all agree on that. But most importantly, I think the energy throughout in practice and walkthroughs and meetings been great. Now we got to carry that to game day.”
Looking to predict NFL playoff Scenarios? Try our NFL Playoff Predictor for real-time simulations and stay ahead of the game!
A couple of weeks ago, reports about Jalen Hurts clashing with teammates and coaches saw the light. His approach to the games rubbed his teammates the wrong way, while coaches questioned why he didn’t apply what they planned during the week.
More recently, it was reported that Hurts didn’t want to run the ball as before, which drew a strong response from the quarterback.
“How did we come to that conclusion or rationalize that?” Hurts said. “I’ve always been focused on doing whatever it takes to win and I’ve always put my energy on trying to bring the gameplan and the strategy to life, so I’ll continue to do that.”
The Eagles, in the middle of a two-game losing skid, carry a lot of questions to answer into their Monday night matchup.
Anonymous Eagles player says everybody must play better and stop pointing fingers
After losing to the Dallas Cowboys and the Chicago Bears in their last two games, Philadelphia will visit the LA Chargers on Monday. Amid criticism aimed at Hurts, Barkley, A.J. Brown and even Kevin Patullo, an unnamed player explained what is holding the team back.
“It’s not just one thing that’s in our way. It’s not just Jalen (Hurts), it’s not just Saquon (Barkley), it’s not just (OC Kevin) Patullo, it’s not just the offensive line. … It’s a little bit of everyone.”
Losing three consecutive games would put the Eagles in a complex position. The Chargers are a dangerous team that will play in front of its fans. A loss against Jim Harbaugh’s team would be a big blow.