Saquon Barkley is in a funk. Why has he struggled, and can he snap out of it against the Bears?

The Philadelphia Eagles running back and AP Offensive Player of the year ran for just 22 yards on 10 carries in a loss — an epic collapse, actually — to the Dallas Cowboys. Barkley even lost a key fumble in the fourth quarter that helped turn a 21-0 lead into a 24-21 loss for the Eagles' biggest blown lead in a defeat since 1999.

All season? Yup, and that makes the frustration even worse for Barkley, who would have been hard-pressed to match last season's numbers — 2,005 yards rushing in the regular season, an NFL-record 2,504 yards rushing for the regular season and playoffs, two 200-yard games (one in the playoffs) and six rushing touchdowns of 60-plus yards (also including playoffs) — that earned him a record-setting contract extension.

But did anyone expect this kind of drop-off?

Barkley limps into Friday's game against the Chicago Bears (8-3) barely on track for 1,000 yards rushing this season. He has only 684 yards this season and a 3.7 yards-per-carry average. Forget six rushing TDs of 60-plus yards — he's had eight games this season where he's rushed for 60 or fewer yards.

“We’re trying pretty much anything and everything we can to find ways to get him going,” beleaguered offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo said. “I know that the guys are excited for something new this week to see if we can get it going.”

Barkley has gamely tried to take the blame for his performance that down the stretch could determine if the Eagles (8-3) — who still comfortably lead the NFC East — can make another serious run at a Super Bowl championship.

“I’ve had funks before. Just got to break it,” Barkley said. "Only way I know how is by flushing this, working my butt off, and get ready for the next opportunity.”

So what explains the dramatic dip in performance?

There are a multitude of reasons starting with a new OC in Patullo, who has failed to master the art of play-calling, even with so much talent in Barkley, Jalen Hurts and wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.

The offensive line has been riddled with injuries and inconsistency that often has offered Barkley little room to run. Barkley ran for a whopping 1,328 yards before contact last season and averaged 3.8 yards per carry before contact. This season he has averaged only 2.3 yards per carry before contact.

“It's not on Saquon. It's on all of us,” offensive lineman Jordan Mailata said. “You could just watch the film. We always say we're one block away. As tiring and as repetitive as it is, that is the truth.”

Barkley — who insisted this week he is healthy — hasn't faced the Bears since 2022 when he ran for 146 yards while playing for the Giants.

“He hasn’t had the year that he had last year, but he’s still a threat every time he touches the ball. He’s a guy we’re going to have to corral,” Bears safety Kevin Byard III said. “I think when you talk about game planning against the team like that, he’s definitely priority number one to stop him.”

Bears win the close ones

The Bears hung on to beat Pittsburgh 31-28 on Sunday with Chicago’s old nemesis Aaron Rodgers sidelined by a broken left wrist, after rallying in the final two minutes the previous three weeks. With their eighth win in nine games, they maintained a slim lead in the NFC North over Green Bay (7-3-1) and Detroit (7-4).

The Bears have won two games by one point each and have six total wins by a touchdown or less.

The Bears have the same pivotal question as the Eagles: Can they really keep winning this way?

For the Bears, the problem is quarterback Caleb Williams, who has completed 59.2% of his passes on the season, after coach Ben Johnson called 70% their goal. Yet, the Bears rank first in the NFL in turnover margin (plus-16) and second in rushing offense (142.3 yards per game), and leading those categories wins teams a lot of games — and the Bears have done plenty of winning, even if BetMGM Sportsbook has them at 66-1 to win the Super Bowl.

Hey, worrying about how to fix a potential playoff team sure beats the alternative of where the Bears were at this point last season. Their Thanksgiving loss at Detroit was their sixth straight in what ballooned into a 10-game losing streak.

“It’s come along really well, but it’s really those veterans that I just can’t sing their praises enough. They lead the charge there in terms of how that locker room responds each and every week,” Johnson said. “Being able to hit that reset button and we’ve had some success.”

Patullo gets a vote of confidence

Patullo got a vote of confidence from coach Nick Sirianni after the Eagles blew a 21-0 lead. The Eagles have tailed off in Patullo's first season and rank only 24th overall in offense, 21st in rushing, 23rd in passing and 17th in scoring.

Patullo has absorbed the brunt of the criticism from unhappy fans — offensive lineman Lane Johnson even called the offense “predictable” after a loss to the Giants last month — but seemingly will still call the shots for the immediate future.

Sirianni said this week he had not considered a play-calling change.

“I feel like we’ve got the right people,” he said.

Patullo tried to not to blame one specific area of an offense that has failed to put up big numbers even in wins. It scored a combined 26 points in consecutive wins over Green Bay and Detroit — victories that fattened the Eagles' record and yet still yielded complaints from veterans such as Brown.

“We’ve had these dry spells a little bit, whether it was running the ball, whatever it may be, but it hasn’t been one specific thing,” Patullo said. “I think that’s where it’s been a challenge for us to try to find what can we change, what can we do? Because there are certain areas that we feel really confident in.”

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