See Saquon run.

That’s what Eagles’ fans have been waiting to see all season until Barkley broke through with 150-yard effort that was highlighted by a 65-ayrd touchdown run against the Giants in the Birds’ 38-20 victory Sunday.

Now the question that lingers is whether Barkley will turn it loose for the remainder of the season. However, Barkley surely will benefit from the team’s bye week ahead.

When he returns in Green Bay for a high-profile Monday night game Nov. 10, Barkley will need to average 101 yards over the final nine games to push him over the 1,500-yard plateau for the season.

In this version of the Inside the Huddle column, I’ll look at the offensive state of the Eagles, check in on the Fighting Irish, review the league’s best and worst, and turn back the pages on a former Northern Lehigh standout.

Barking Up the Right Tree: With his previous pedestrian efforts – a once high 88 yards against the Chiefs in the second game of the season – Barkley could surpass the 1,500-yard-plus mark for the season after being on pace for roughly 900.

Barkley did leave the game in the fourth quarter with an apparent groin injury that he downplayed after the game. Yet, it was good to see Barkley’s burst again, primarily his 65-yard scamper for a score.

Fellow running back Tank Bigsby, who was quietly acquired from Jacksonville a few weeks ago, emerged as a secondary outlet with his 104-yard effort on nine carries. He certainly can provide a relief for Barkley, and it will be interesting to see both in the backfield at the same time.

The Eagles also benefited with Landon Dickerson back at guard, and Brett Toth did a steady job at center for the injured Cam Jurgens. Overall, the Birds ran 30 times for 278 yards.

The effective running game also took some heat off new offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, who was under the gun for not getting the Eagles’ running game in gear through the first seven games.

Pass It Along: Along with the Eagles running game hitting a high-water mark, Jalen Hurts had another strong effort.

Hurts entered the game with his last three efforts being 280, 283, and 326 yards (season high against the Vikings last week), and he appeared on track to keep a consistent 250-plus yards for the rest of the season.

Against the Giants, Hurts was sharp completing 15 of 20 passes for only 179 yards, but he threw for four touchdowns. His 75 percent completion rate was his second best to his 82.6 against the Vikings.

If the Eagles keep their running game going, Hurts won’t need any Herculean passing efforts, only ones like he has had the past two weeks. He really hasn’t used his legs either this year, rushing for 207 yards.

This was a game without the much-maligned A.J. Brown, but Barkley (four catches, one touchdown), Dallas Goedert (three catches, two touchdowns), Jahan Dotson (one catch, one touchdown) filled the role.

Hurts continues to quietly put together a banner-type year, completing 151 of 215 attempts for 1,677 yards with 15 touchdowns and just one interception.

Tougher Than You Think: The Eagles’ 5-2 start has been viewed by many as a questionable one, but their schedule may alleviate some fears. They have 11 playoff teams from las year on their skid.

Philly opened with Dallas before they had a Super Bowl rematch with the Chiefs in Kansas City before matchups with the upstart Rams, Bucs, and Broncos.

They seemed to a breather ahead with the Giants but were victims of a blowout.

Left on the schedule are games in Green Bay on a Monday night, home against the Bears, a trip to Dallas, a home Sunday night against Detroit, a Black Friday home game against Chicago, and a Monday night game in Los Angeles (Chargers).

Left on the docket are home games against Las Vegas and Washington, along with away games in Buffalo and Washington.

As you can see, the Birds’ 6-2 record isn’t as far off track as many believe.

Is He a Free-man?: Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman continues to be near the top of the list to take over the reins at Penn State. Nebraska boss Matt Rhule has recently surfaced as a top candidate.

Freeman recently inked a four-year extension with the Irish, and is current deal will take him through 2030 making reportedly $9 million per year. Initially, Freeman had a $4 million buyout, but that has supposedly risen with his extension to possibly as much as $40 million.

After the team’s 0-2 start, Freeman’s future may have been in doubt, but the Irish have won five straight, and they travel to Boston College Saturday for a version of college’s “Holy War.”

The Irish have won nine straight over the Eagles, and they posted a 44-0 shutout in their last meeting in 2022. Notre Dame leads the series, 17-9, and Boston College’s last win was 17-0 in 2008.

Oh, Baby, It’s A Wild World: It certainly has been a wild first eight weeks in the NFL.

The rising Bears had a four-game winning streak snapped by the Lamar Jackson-less Ravens, the Jets rallied for their first win in a defensive-less game, the Dolphins shocked the Falcons, and the Bills ended their two game losing streak wit a 40-9 rout of the Panthers, who had won three straight.

It’s difficult to pinpoint one dominant team, but here’s one-man’s opinion on a top five:

1) Colts (7-1) - Yes, they dominated the hapless Titans, but Daniel Jones is for real. Jonathan Taylor arguably is the best back in the league.

2) Broncos (6-2) – Denver’s defense showed its superiority by shutting down Dallas’ offense. Bo Nix can do some things on offense.

3) Bucs (6-2) – They keep on winning and are finally being noticed. Baker Mayfield is having an MVP year.

4) Eagles (6-2) – The Birds played a complete game against the Giants. They look ready for an impressive run.

5) Patriots (6-2) - For the first time since 2021, the Pats are 6-2. There will be a race in the AFC East.

Bottom five – How this man sees the worst five teams (worst being number one).

1) Saints (1-7) – Tyler Shough took over for starter Spencer Rattler. If you know who he is, you get a gold star.

2) Titans (1-7) – The Titans have a new coach, but the problems remain the same. Cam Ward deserves better.

3) Raiders (2-5) – They had a bye, but there isn’t any promise with veteran coach Pete Carroll.

4) Browns (2-6) – A quarterback change didn’t improve their offensive woes. Will we see Shedeur Sanders?

5) Jets (1-7) – Jets’ fans can celebrate the revival of their offense, but the Jets’ defense is still awful. Will they draft another Joe Namath?

Matriculating Down the Lane: Through the years, there have been many classic Eagles-Giants’ matchups.

On Dec. 19, 2010 at Met Life Stadium, both teams entered the game with 9-4 records with the NFC East title in both of their sights.

The Eagles trailed 31-10 with 7:30 left in the game before they mounted on of the greatest comebacks in their history.

Michael Vick then engineered the Birds to three scores to tie the game. He tossed a 65-yard touchdown to tight end Brent Celek, he scored on a four-yard run, and tossed a 13-yard touchdown to Jeremy Macklin.

The Eagles’ defense forced the Giants into a three-and-out on their final possession and Giants’ punter Matt Dodge punted with 14 seconds left.

DeSean Jackson bobbled the ball on the 35-yard line, picked it up and darted back five yards before he weaved his way up the field. Jackson benefited from a block from Celek and found the end zone as the clock ran out. He enjoyed the moment dancing around the end zone, as the Eagles swept the season series.

The Eagles won the NFC East with a 10-6 record, but they were eliminated by the Packers, 21-16, in a Wild Card playoff game.

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