Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – November 29, 2025
After the Philadelphia Eagles dropped their second straight game — a disappointing 24–15 loss to the Chicago Bears — legendary safety Brian Dawkins has weighed in with a blunt assessment: the issue isn’t the defense — it’s the offense.
Speaking on a local sports radio segment Saturday morning, Dawkins, who remains a respected voice across the league and within the Eagles organization, backed running back Saquon Barkley’s public frustration about the offense’s lack of cohesion.
“This team is playing with no offensive identity. That’s not a defensive problem — it’s a rhythm, focus, and leadership issue on offense,” Dawkins said. “You can’t expect the defense to hold it down every single drive when the offense can’t string together more than two or three first downs. It’s demoralizing.”
The Eagles’ offense has come under fire after another flat performance in Week 13. Despite entering the season with sky-high expectations following the signing of Barkley, the unit has sputtered over the last month. Barkley, who rushed 13 times for 56 yards against Chicago, has now gone four straight games without a touchdown — a sharp contrast to his dominant 2024 campaign with the Giants.
The Eagles currently rank 21st in the NFL in rushing, averaging just 110.5 yards per game on the ground. Barkley’s yards per carry have plummeted to 3.7 this season after averaging 5.7 in 2024. But more than the stats, it’s the focus and execution that have both Barkley and Dawkins concerned.
“What Saquon said was spot-on,” Dawkins emphasized. “This is not about talent. This is about discipline. This is about focus. You see the drops. You see the misreads. You see the breakdowns on third down. Those are mental lapses, not physical ones.”
Indeed, Barkley admitted after the game that a drop he had was due to a lack of focus — “It has nothing to do with talent,” he said bluntly.
Dawkins’ remarks come as a call to urgency for a team that was once considered a Super Bowl contender. With the Los Angeles Chargers looming on Monday Night Football in Week 14, the Eagles find themselves at a crossroads.
“This isn’t just about one guy or one coach,” Dawkins concluded. “But if this offense doesn’t wake up and start clicking, they’re going to waste another elite defensive season. That’s the truth.”
The message from one of the franchise’s all-time greats is clear: if the Eagles want to salvage their season, the offense needs to stop making excuses — and start delivering.
