Last season, Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles suffered a strange collapse. While head coach Nick Sirianni’s men took the top spot in the NFC East, they were eliminated in the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs against the San Francisco 49ers. Barkley, for one, had plenty of criticism for himself while looking back at last year.
Eagles RB Saquon Barkley Criticizes His 2025 Play
Ever since joining Philly, Barkley has been a staple of the offense. He won his first Super Bowl with Philadelphia and cracked 2,000 rushing yards in the 2024 campaign. However, he couldn’t get close to those numbers in 2025, as the team faced difficulties on multiple fronts.
The Eagles couldn’t get much going on offense last year, ranking 19th in the NFL in scoring, with 22.3 points per game. They ranked 16th in PFSN’s Offense Impact metric with a 74.4 grade.
Barkley’s struggles mirrored those of the team, as the veteran running back wasn’t impressed with his performance.
“I personally don’t like how my year went,” Barkley said, via Eagles Nation. “I don’t like how I performed for the team. I don’t feel like I performed at a high enough level.”
Saquon Barkley on last season: “I personally don’t like how my year went. I don’t like how I performed for the team. I don’t feel like I performed at a high enough level.” pic.twitter.com/cjhnk2O2N7
— Eagles Nation (@PHLEaglesNation) May 27, 2026
Recording a fifth career 1,000-yard season is nothing to sneeze at; however, the running back set the bar extremely high with his 2,000-yard campaign in 2024. This past season marked the first time he hadn’t put up double-digit touchdowns since 2021.
He finished the 2025 season with 280 carries for 1,140 yards and 7 touchdowns, and he added 37 receptions for 273 yards and 2 scores through the air.
While the ninth-year back is very critical of his own performance, there’s more to be said for how the team as a whole performed. His numbers were arguably a bright spot on an otherwise pedestrian run that surprisingly earned them an 11-6 record. Barkley’s advanced analytics show his drop-off. After ranking No. 3 in PFSN’s RB Impact metric in 2024, he fell to 31st last season with a 59.4 RBi grade.
The Eagles’ defense carried the offense for much of the year. The unit surrendered only 19.1 points per game, which ranked fifth-best in the NFL. Also, the unit ranked seventh in PFSN’s Defense Impact metric.
The Eagles started the season on a strong note, heading into Week 12 with an 8-2 record. However, their loss against the New York Giants exposed a chink in their armor, as Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart took them to task 34-17 in only his third start.
Philly went into the postseason in poor shape, having gone 3-4 across their final seven games. The 12-5 49ers, on the other hand, took to the playoffs in better shape, and it showed on Wild Card Weekend, as Kyle Shanahan and company edged the Eagles 23-19.
It remains to be seen how Barkley and Co. will bounce back from their 2025 campaign, but it’s clear the superstar running back expects more for himself.
