Eagles running back Saquon Barkley said his hamstring "came out great" and does not believe his back issue will keep him out, after a gutsy and highly efficient performance in Philadelphia's 38-21 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night.
Barkley was questionable entering the game because of a hamstring injury that had sidelined him the previous two weeks. The Eagles tried to limit his carries, but that number dropped further when his back locked up as the game progressed. He played nine snaps and touched the ball every time he was on the field, finishing with seven carries for 62 yards and a touchdown, plus two receptions for 9 yards. Barkley is the first NFL starter in the past 20 seasons to play at least nine offensive snaps in a game and get a touch on all of them.
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said player health came first. "Do they feel ready to go? Do the doctors and trainers feel like he's ready to go? And we felt like that was the case today," Sirianni said. "He's tough as heck. He wanted to be out there for his teammates."
Barkley was clearly managing the injuries throughout the game. He spent time in the medical tent and stretched with trainers on the bench. He tweaked his back on a 29-yard run in the first quarter, and it worsened from there. His last snap came in the third quarter. He said he did not think the back issue would keep him out going forward but deferred to the training staff. "I truly love this game, and I feel like if you're able to go, sometimes you've got to push your body to the limit," he said.
The Eagles have been hit hard by injuries at running back. Will Shipley (foot), Tank Bigsby (abdomen) and Carson Steele (shoulder) are on injured reserve. Dameon Pierce exited in the fourth quarter with an undisclosed injury, leaving the running duties to Elijah Mitchell, who was promoted from the practice squad for the game.
Source: ESPN NFL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing