The Eagles Are 8-4, But You’d Never Know It-Saquon Barkley Calls Out Sideline Energy as Philly Tries to Regroup
At 8-4 and sitting atop the NFC East, the Philadelphia Eagles should feel like a team in control. But if you’ve been watching closely-or listening to the players-this doesn’t look or sound like a team riding high. Instead, the vibe around the Eagles feels more like a group teetering on the edge than one gearing up for a deep postseason run.
Saquon Barkley, never one to sugarcoat things, put it plainly: the sideline energy this season has been “awful.” That’s not coming from an outsider.
That’s from one of the leaders in the locker room. According to Barkley, the juice you see during the week-whether in practice, meetings, or walkthroughs-just isn’t translating when it matters most: on game day.
Speaking with The Athletic’s Zach Berman, Barkley tried to keep things in perspective. “On the outside, everyone's going crazy, probably.
In here, it's like, it's the NFL. We're 8-4.
We have a great opportunity on Monday night.”
Those four words-“It’s the NFL”-have become his personal reset button. A reminder that the outside noise, no matter how loud, can’t dictate how the team responds inside the building.
Still, Barkley didn’t downplay the issue. He acknowledged the disconnect between what happens during the week and what shows up on Sundays.
And what’s showing up hasn’t been pretty.
On the sidelines, Barkley says the team has lacked energy. There’s been no lift, no spark, no sense of urgency you’d expect from a group battling for the top of the NFC.
The body language? Let’s just say it hasn’t gone unnoticed.
During Philly’s high-profile matchup with the Cowboys, Tom Brady-yes, that Tom Brady-called them out on national television for looking more like a team ready for the offseason than one chasing a Super Bowl.
And that’s the crux of the concern: it’s not about talent or potential. It’s about demeanor.
Swagger. Urgency.
The kind of intangible edge that championship teams carry with them, especially in December.
Inside the locker room, there’s at least an effort to push back against the growing sense of gloom. After a disheartening 24-15 Black Friday loss to the Bears-a game that dropped them to 8-4 and triggered a wave of fan frustration-players tried to inject some life back into the building.
The offensive line even brought in a giant inflatable “positivity rabbit.” Yes, a literal rabbit.
Anything to lighten the mood and shift the energy.
That loss to Chicago wasn’t just another L. It was a gut punch.
The kind of game that makes a fanbase question everything. It even escalated to the point where offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo’s house was egged-an unfortunate reminder of just how intense Philly sports culture can be when expectations aren’t met.
And yet, here’s the twist: despite the noise, despite the sideline concerns, despite the egged houses and the inflatable rabbits-the Eagles still control their own destiny. They’re still in first place.
They’re still “very likely” to make the playoffs. And they’re about to get a major reinforcement when All-Pro tackle Lane Johnson returns from a Lisfranc sprain that’s sidelined him since Week 11.
So, where does that leave Philly?
Somewhere between frustration and opportunity. Barkley’s “it’s the NFL” mantra speaks to the reality of this league: things can turn fast.
One Monday night win could flip the narrative. One big performance could reignite the fire.
But that change has to come from within. From the sideline energy.
From the body language. From the urgency.
The Eagles have the pieces. What they need now is the pulse.