Have the Eagles found their run game?

PHILADELPHIA -- Eagles running back Saquon Barkley was mic'd up for his return to MetLife Stadium Sunday to face the New York Giants, and captured was his conversation with coach Nick Sirianni early in the fourth quarter about whether Barkley wanted to stay in and chase his personal best for rushing yards in a single game (189).

"You're 13 yards away from your career high. I would love for you to get that. But that's up to you," Sirianni said.

"It's all good," Barkley replied. "I'd rather see the young boys eat."

Much of the attention since that clip came out has been on Barkley's selflessness and team-first mentality, which is certainly worth highlighting. But the fact that the Eagles even had the luxury to pull their starters during a 28-3 romp over New York is a pretty big deal itself.

It had been almost a full calendar year since Philadelphia had won a game by double-digits, coming in a 31-17 victory over the Miami Dolphins on October 22, 2023. A highly talented offense largely sputtered from there, aiding in the 1-6 collapse down the stretch. Some of the same issues that bit them in '23 -- like untimely turnovers and a boom-or-bust passing attack -- spilled over into this season.

Players and coaches alike spoke about the need to discover an identity as they entered their Week 5 bye with a 2-2 mark. It appears they have found one. In wins over the Cleveland Browns and Giants the past two games, they have rushed the ball a combined 81 times -- 10 more than the next closest team -- for 385 yards (192.5 per game). The Eagles have racked up 10 rushes of 10-plus yards and a league-best 21 rushing first downs during that stretch. Over the first four games, they ranked eighth in rushing attempts (120) -- still a healthy amount, but they've been leaning into the ground game even more of late.

"Nick, are we a running football team?" 94.1 WIP host and former fullback Jon Ritchie asked Sirianni this week during his regular radio appearance.

"Damn right," said Sirianni.

"Yesss!" Ritchie responded, echoing the sentiments of a large portion of the fan base.

Caveats followed. Sirianni has emphasized that offensive game plans will be tailored to what's best for that given week. But there are several reasons for Sirianni and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore to stick with the run moving forward.

First and foremost, Barkley has been excellent since signing a three-year, $37.75 million contract with the Eagles this offseason. He ranks third in rushing yards (658) and second in rushing yards per game (109.7) behindDerrick Henry. His 19 rushes of 10-plus yards leads the league. Barkley has broken off rushes of 55-plus yards in three of his past four games, which is even more impressive when you consider that zero running backs had three rushes of 55-plus yards all of last season.

The Eagles' offensive line has played a large role in his resurgence. According to ESPN Research, Barkley is averaging 4.39 yards before contact per rush, which is second among backs.

"It's very simple. If you're in a fight, do you want to punch somebody in the face or do you want to get punched in the face," said guard Landon Dickerson, on linemen's preference to run block over pass protect.

"Especially in the run game, [it's about] getting into a groove with things. Sometimes it takes a little bit to figure out what a defensive line is doing, specific guys play different ways, so being able to do that consistently and not get away from it helps us to get in a groove to understand, alright, this is how we kind of change things a little bit to make things more efficient."

Perhaps no one in the league is better at problem solving on the fly then offensive line coach/run game coordinator Jeff Stoutland.

The passing game, meanwhile, is still searching for its footing. Jalen Hurts' completion rate of 67.8% is four points higher than his career average and he is top-5 in QBR (72), completion percentage (75%) and off-target rate (9%) while operating inside the pocket. But he's throwing outside the pocket on 18% of his attempts -- the second-highest rate behind the Steelers'Justin Fields-- and his numbers dip dramatically (16 QBR, 41% completion rate, off-target rate of 24%) in those instances. Through his first four games, he ranked second in turnovers (7) behind onlyWill Levisof the Titans.

Hurts has zero turnovers since the bye, however. He dropped back 39 times on average through the first four weeks, compared to 24 times on average the past two weeks.

Game circumstance and sample size are going to skew the numbers some, but there's a formula that's emerging. Run more. Pass less. Protect the football. All of which should help out a defense that is showing signs of improvement (12 total points allowed the past two weeks) but has been largely inconsistent over the first half of the season.

Relying on Barkley & Co. won't always be an option. There will be games against high-powered offenses, including Sunday's matchup at the Cincinnati Bengals (1 p.m. ET, CBS), where airing it out may be required, and that is not always a bad thing with playmakers such asA.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith at the ready. But the Eagles have come across a winning recipe and should largely stick to it to maximize their chances for success the rest of the way.