Saquon Barkley was dominant in Eagles debut—Can he do it again on Monday Night?

Saquon Barkley wasted no time making an impact in his first game as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.

While Giants fans continue to lose sleep witnessing Barkley with an NFC rival after he dropped three touchdowns on Green Bay in the opener, everyone in Philly is absolutely loving it.

Barkley proved to be worth every penny, providing Jalen Hurts and company a true every-down workhorse that can take pressure off Hurts while forcing defenses to stay honest to the run game – opening up the field for AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, and the entire pass game.

Can Saquon Barkley run it back against the Falcons on Monday night?

If he’s going to match those numbers—109 yards on the ground, plus an 18-yard receiving score and two more rushing TDs—he’ll likely have to do it on fewer touches.

Eagles RB Saquon Barkley named NFC Offensive Player of the Week following 3 TD performance >>

Nick Sirianni on Saquon Barkley “Load Management”

Barkley had 26 total touches in the opener (24 carries, 2 receptions), but don’t expect that kind of volume every week. Coach Nick Sirianni is already talking about managing Barkley’s workload to keep him fresh for the late-season push.

“You do everything you can to win, and when you’re in the flow of the game, you focus on what it takes to get that W…”

“With Saquon getting that many touches, we’ve got a plan to ease some of the load in practice…”

Of course, if it comes down to a must-win situation, don’t be surprised to see Barkley take over again. Philly fans hear “load management” and probably flash back to the Sixers’ handling of Joel Embiid. The Eagles aren’t likely to go that extreme, but they do have backups in Kenneth Gainwell and Will Shipley if they need to give Barkley some rest during the week.

Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore is Ready to Adapt

Eagles OC Kellen Moore knows Barkley’s impact is just getting started. “He’s been phenomenal,” Moore said. “We can mix things up week to week and adjust our game plans based on the opponent, and Barkley gives us that flexibility.”

Falcons Defense Facing a Tough Task

After six losing seasons in a row, the Falcons kicked off 2024 with a lackluster 18-10 loss to Pittsburgh. If you’re looking for anything to be positive about after Week 1, Atlanta’s defense kept the Steelers out of the end zone—a small win in an otherwise miserable game.

The Steelers had Justin Fields under center and to be frank, aren’t in the same league as the Philadelphia Eagles, so the Falcons will be faced with a whole different story Monday night on the road at an always-wild Lincoln Financial Field with Jalen Hurts and Barkley leading the charge.

Monday night is the next chance for Barkley and the Eagles to show what they’ve got. There’s absolutely zero shot that the Eagles lose this game but hey, a home opener is always fun so get down to The Linc early and enjoy it. Go Birds.

All Things Philadelphia Eagles Week 2 >>

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