Saquon Barkley’s Back: Kellen Moore Talks Impact of Star RB’s Return of Eagles’ Playoff Push

As the Philadelphia Eagles prepare for Week 19 against the Green Bay Packers on Super Wildcard Week, there’s a specter hanging over the team that has nothing to do with the on-field product or the availability of QB1, Jalen Hurts: Kellen Moore’s interview requests from QB-needy teams around the NFL.

That’s right, for what feels like the umpteenth season in a role, the Eagles might lose another coordinator if a team like the New Orleans Saints like what they see from the former Boise State QB, even if the Eagles have seemingly settled on something special with the Moore-Nick Sirianni-Vic Fangio trifecta.

Fortunately, Moore has explicitly stated that he isn’t focusing on that now, with his goal instead firmly focused on beating the Packers to advance to the second round of the NFL playoffs.

Asked about the prospects of facing off against a Packers team that has already faced Saquon Barkley once this season, Moore noted that he’s excited to get his RB1 back on the field against Green Bay, as he always brings excitement to the proceedings.

“Certainly we had big expectations, and certainly we loved everything [RB] Saquon [Barkley] had done through the off-season until you get on the field and experience it firsthand,” Moore told reporters. “There’s obviously an element of excitement coming out of that game, just how we performed in the run game, Saquon performed. There’s a lot of excitement moving forward.”

Asked how the Eagles became so Barkley-focused over the course of the 2024 NFL season, with the PSU-produced back having his best-ever season in South Philadelphia, Moore noted that the Eagles found a formula that worked and have built their identity around it.

“Certainly as we’ve gone through this season, you know, you’re going to find formulas that work and try and lean into those and understand that it’s not going to match each and every week,” Moore noted.

“But I think our guys do an excellent job of being a really physical football team, and you know, run game certainly has embraced that and I think what our guys have done a really good job of is second half, four-minute style football, grinding games out where we have these long drives late in games. Certainly that’s shown up a lot and those are heavy run situations, and you throw the ball when you have to in those circumstances. They have done a really nice job there.”

Tasked with calling an Eagles offense that is a combination of his own concepts plus those pre-existing plays preferred by Sirianni, Moore has put together one of the better offenses in the NFL, even if the numbers are perplexing.

Ranking first overall in rushing attempts and second in rushing yards but 32nd in passing attempts and 29th in passing yards, the Eagles have clearly designed their offense around their playmaking strengths, which are unlike (almost) any other team in the NFL. While that may be a hindrance to some teams, as they probably don’t have Barkley and Hurts as the engines of their offense, Moore’s willingness to make something work with what he was given shows an ability to work through problems and still find success.

Could Moore end up on another team as their head coach this fall? Sure, that’s possible, but for now, focusing on the Packers has to be priority number one, as a poor playoff showing could negatively impact his coaching chances as much as the Eagles’ Super Bowl potential.