After suffering their first loss of the season, the Philadelphia Eagles may have a new problem on their hands. Fans were stunned at the Denver Broncos’ come-from-behind victory, one that saw them come out on top, 21-17.
Having lost for the first time since December 22, 2024, the Eagles find themselves in an uncomfortable position with a surprising injury to RB Saquon Barkley.
Saquon Barkley Emerges on Monday’s Injury Report
For whatever reason, HC Nick Sirianni opted to have QB Jalen Hurts throw the ball 38 times as the Eagles fell to the Broncos. Upon doing so, he allowed Barkley to run the ball just six times.
For Philly’s All-Pro running back to have just six carries for 30 yards doesn’t feel right. Now, a new update has emerged. While Barkley added three receptions for 58 yards, nine touches are far from what he’s used to.
Monday’s Injury Report#PHIvsNYG pic.twitter.com/iafJIrLOLf
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 6, 2025
Barkley was listed as “DNP” on the Eagles’ injury report on Monday, October 6, meaning that if Philadelphia had practiced today, their star running back would not have participated.
Coming off the loss, Barkley was one of three players who were held out of practice. Grant Calcaterra and Landon Dickerson were the other two, while Jihaad Campbell and Byron Young were both limited.
Later in the day, NFL insider Ian Rapoport provided a positive update on the Eagles star. “Source on Saquon Barkley: He had general soreness coming out of the game and fully expects to play Thursday night against the Giants,” Rapoport wrote on X.
Eagles fans are right to be concerned about Barkley’s status. Without him, the team’s run game would revolve only around its quarterback, which is never a good sign.
Despite their 4-1 record, the Eagles are 24th in PFSN’s Offense Impact. Both Hurts and Barkley have C grades, though Barkley (RB20) is rated slightly lower than Hurts (QB19).
Prior to Week 5, Barkley hadn’t carried the ball fewer than 18 times. Surely, Sirianni knew something was wrong during the game and had no choice but to pivot. In the end, Hurts was 23/38.
The 27-year-old hasn’t thrown the ball that many times since September 22, 2024, against the New Orleans Saints. Before that, the last time he threw 40+ passes was when the San Francisco 49ers blew out the Eagles on December 3, 2023. In that game, Hurts was 26/45 for 298 yards. The Eagles were embarrassed, 42-19.
Without Barkley, the Eagles quarterback may need to throw the ball this many times on a consistent basis. Throughout the team’s run to a Super Bowl last season, he never threw the ball more than 28 times. Barkley is a massive part of this offense, and his contributions cannot be understated.