The leaders spoke. And the team listened. After a tough Monday Night Football loss to the Dallas Cowboys, both running back Saquon Barkley and left guard Landon Dickerson spent time with the reporters surrounding their lockers at Lincoln Financial Field and emptied their emotions.
It meant so much.
For a team struggling to find its footing, hearing Dickerson – playing for the first time since Week 1 – pour himself out to the world was telling. And just around the corner of the locker room, Barkley did the same thing after leaving everything on the field, playing through injuries to help the Eagles' offense.
This is what leaders do. And this is how a team in need of some victories takes the path back to the win column.
"I'm not really a big talker, to be honest," Barkley said after he rushed for 62 yards and a touchdown on seven carries and caught two passes for nine yards, touching the ball on each of the nine official snaps he played in the game (his 10th snap, a rushing attempt that gained yards, was called back because of a penalty).
"Felt like the moment was right. I just, how I look at life, I feel like you just never quit. You never give up. You just keep fighting, no matter what, whatever the situation is, how it looks. And I feel like that we have the men in the locker room to do it. We put ourselves in this situation. We've got to get ourselves out of it. I know that I've got to take more of a role of being vocal, using my voice. I'm more of a lead-by-example type of guy, but it happens when you have guys banged up."
Said Head Coach Nick Sirianni of Barkley after the game: "He's tough as heck. He wanted to be out there for his teammates; probably had to slow him up. He'd be out there every play because of the person he is and the teammate he is and the toughness that he has."
Leadership. It is something every team needs and something the Eagles have had in abundance during this 10-year run of three Super Bowl appearances and two Super Bowl victories as part of eight postseason appearances. In tough times like the team is experiencing in 2026, it is needed more than ever.
So that's why Barkley's toughness and desire to lead by example and with his words – he spoke to the team about staying together and working through the current struggles – and Dickerson's toughness coming back from injury and his emotional post-game reaction are so vital.
This all means something to the team: The Eagles are going to stay tough, stay together, and work through this all as one team.
No exceptions.
"Yeah, right now we're fighting and I guess that's one positive thing to take away," Dickerson said. "Nobody's quitting and that's what you want to see."
Dickerson helped stabilize the offensive line as quarterback Tanner McKee and the group found some rhythm and success. Still, that wasn't enough for Dickerson, who criticized his own performance at his locker.
"It's frustrating," he said. "I let my guys down. I didn't play good enough. These guys work their (butts) off to come in here and compete every day. I just wasn't good enough. You let your guys down. Simple as that. It hurts. I'll hate myself for 24 hours and get over it, get back to practice."
The mission is the same for a 2-5 team that fully understands the urgency of the moment.
"I think we're doing a great job leading, and we're working our (butts) off," Barkley said. "And it sucks when the results aren't going the way you wanted to go. I'm going to sound a broken record, but I really bought into this mindset. Just got to keep believing in the process, keep working, and keep going. The results may not be what we want right now, but it doesn't matter. We've got to go back to work. It takes all of us."
Can Barkley, who has been fighting through a hamstring injury and now a back injury he said he sustained in the loss to Dallas, give it a go in the prime-time game against the Commanders?
As all great leaders do, he's going to give it everything he has to be out there for his teammates.
"It sucks when it's not going the way you want it to go," Barkley said. "I truly love this game and I feel like if you're able to go, you've got to push your body to the limit."
