The Philadelphia Eagles are 8-3 and in comfortable control of the NFC East. We've seen them navigate through drama to emerge as Super Bowl champions before and it's likely they can do it again considering an elite defense and a ground-control offense. But things have been out of whack recently from the off-the-field chatter to quarterback Jalen Hurts reportedly causing some frustration inside the locker room. A complete meltdown against the Dallas Cowboys this past Sunday has only provided more fodder for sports shows who want to know what the hell is going on in Philadelphia.
On First Take Wednesday, Stephen A. Smith had a different question.
"We've been spending an inordinate amount of time this season," Smith said. "We're talking about Jalen Hurts. We're talking about A.J. Brown. We're talking about Nick Sirianni ... We're talking about everyone but Saquon Barkley," he said. "Where the hell he at?"
"We're talking about everyone but Saquon Barkley. Where the hell he at?"@stephenasmith questions why everyone has received blame for the Eagles' "identity crisis" but Saquon 😯 pic.twitter.com/NBo7kIfhIo
— First Take (@FirstTake) November 26, 2025
Smith diagnosed the Eagles' so-called "identity crisis" as a symptom of not being able to run the ball effectively. Coming off a year in which Barkley had one of the most productive seasons a running back has ever enjoyed, the drop-off is noticeable. He took no joy in calling Barkley out but Smith continued by firing off some stats.
Last year Barkley seemed to get stronger as the year went on. This year his yards per carry has dipped from 5.9 yards in the first quarter to 1.9 in the fourth quarter and he hasn't found the end zone during the closing period in any of the Eagles' first 11 games.
Barkley got paid after his incredible year. With the money comes an increased expectation and if nothing else, a responsibility to deliver when it matters.
Again, it's worth pointing out that for all their faults and the pundits' concern-trolling, the Eagles appear poised to capture a top seed in the NFC. These little in-season side quests have become just part of the process in recent years and none of it has amounted to standing in the way of meaningful success.
Smith is absolutely fair in pointing out that Barkley's inability to show his traditional great form is contributing to some of the issues. One might argue that the reason why First Take and others who opine on the topic haven't lead Eagles talk with this angle is because it's not as spicy as other things going on with the organization.
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