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Tim McManus
Multiple Authors
PHILADELPHIA — Eagles running back Saquon Barkley was sidelined after sustaining a hamstring injury early in Philadelphia’s 24-20 loss to the Rams on Sunday, a performance defined largely by the team’s ineffectiveness on offense.
Tank Bigsby and Will Shipley took over running back duties in his absence, though Bigsby suffered an apparent lower-body injury of his own late in the game.
The offense was already operating without receiver DeVonta Smith (hamstring), tight end Dallas Goedert (knee) and standout right tackle Lane Johnson, who was a late scratch due to personal reasons. Players found out when they arrived at the stadium Sunday morning that Johnson was out and turned their focus to working alongside his replacement, rookie Markel Bell.
Things went from bad to worse when Barkley got hurt on a six-yard run to the left side early in the first quarter. He pulled up after running out of bounds and was limping as he made his way back to his own sideline. After a trip to the medical tent, Barkley went inside with trainers.
The Eagles were still able to build a lead as Jalen Hurts took advantage of good field position provided by the defense and special teams with a pair of touchdown throws to Darius Cooper. But the offensive operation was ugly overall.
Philadelphia went 0-for-12 on third down. Before Sunday’s game, the most third down attempts without a conversion for the Eagles over the last 45 years was 0-for-11 in 1983 against the New York Giants.
“Our job is to figure out what happened and get better from it and not assign blame. That’s what we’ll be doing,” coach Nick Sirianni said.
Hurts finished 12-of-27 for 97 yards through the air. He averaged 3.4 yards per pass attempt, the fewest in any of his 79 games with at least 20 attempts. He completed just two passes after halftime.
“I’m not going to make excuses. I’m not going to make promises. I’m just going to double down on the work and lead the best way I can and continue to have the confidence that I have in this group to forge and figure it out,” Hurts said.
The ground game was up and down in Barkley’s absence, finishing with 104 yards on 27 attempts.
Even with those difficulties, the Eagles were still in position to go up three scores midway through the fourth quarter. A Hurts attempt for Cooper on fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line fell incomplete, however, and the Rams proceeded to drive 98 yards for a touchdown as they mounted a comeback.
“I’m very well aware of how the fourth down decisions go as the head coach. You go for it and you get it, great. You go for it and you don’t get it, that’s on the head coach. We didn’t get it, so that’s on me,” Sirianni said.
Several of the key offensive players did their best to project calm as they attempt to course-correct before next Sunday’s London game against the Jaguars.
“I’m not concerned. It’s Week 4, I’m not concerned,” left tackle Jordan Mailata said. “And I can’t be concerned. If I get concerned then it’s like an infection, it starts from the top down. We’ve got to double down on what we do good and double down on what we do bad and correct it.”
Barkley, 29, entered the game with 174 yards on 34 carries. He missed a portion of the Eagles’ Week 2 game against the Tennessee Titans with a stinger.
