Philadelphia Eagles guard Landon Dickerson (69) blocks during an NFL game against the New York Giants on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.(Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
When Saquon Barkley ran for 2,005 yards for the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2024 regular season, he recorded 11 100-yard games and had 17 rushing attempts that gained at least 20 yards as he averaged 5.8 yards per carry.
But through the Eagles’ first seven games in 2025, Barkley’s longest carry covered 18 yards as he totaled 369 yards and averaged 3.3 yards per rushing attempt. He didn’t top 88 yards in any game.
Despite those results, Philadelphia left guard Landon Dickerson said the Eagles “just kind of had a feeling” that Barkley was ready to break away against the New York Giants on Sunday.
“I mean, I think he knew too that they were close,” Dickerson said after the game. “I mean, going back and watching them, yeah, I mean, it gets frustrating when you’re one block away, and you’re like, ‘If we were just, you know, 6 inches farther over here, he could house-call it.’ And I think things just kind of clicked today.”
In Philadelphia’s 38-20 victory over the Giants, Barkley ran for 150 yards and one touchdown on 14 carries. He also had four receptions for 24 yards and one touchdown.
On the second snap of the game, with reserve tackle Fred Johnson on the field as a sixth offensive lineman, Barkley broke away on a 65-yard touchdown run.
“It feels good because I don’t know if he’s broken one like that this year,” Dickerson said, “but, I mean, I know for him, like, we talked about it coming in this game. Like, we got to break one, just do something, get something going. And coming out second play of the game doing that, I mean, that’s how you get things rolling.”
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Two weeks before beating New York, the Eagles lost to the Giants 38-20 while gaining only 73 yards on the ground. In the rematch, Philadelphia finished with 276 rushing yards, the most in one game for an NFL team this season.
Former Auburn standout Tank Bigsby ran for 104 yards on nine carries for the Eagles on Sunday after entering the game with six carries for 23 yards in the 2025 season.
“It’s going to evolve, and we’re going to do whatever it takes to win,” Dickerson said. “I mean, at the end of the day, if it’s going under center, if it’s running outside stuff, running inside, if it’s throwing the ball — I mean, you’re calling games, you’re running plays to win the game.”
Dickerson did not play in the Eagles’ first meeting with the Giants on Oct. 9 because of an ankle injury.
The second time around versus New York, Philadelphia played without center Cam Jurgens because of a knee injury sustained in a 28-22 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 19.
After filling in for Dickerson at guard in the first meeting with the Giants, Brett Toth played in Jurgens’ spot on Sunday.
“I thought Brett did a good job,” Dickerson said. “I mean, it’s tough. Brett’s a swing guy, so, you know, he kind of goes in for anybody, and for him, especially just having a week at center there, being able to go in, make the calls – and, I mean, he was playing against really good defensive tackles. So I think he did well.”
Dickerson has filled in at center before for the Eagles.
Dickerson earned unanimous All-American recognition and won the Rimington Trophy as the nation’s best center for Alabama’s 2020 unbeaten CFP national-championship team.
Since joining Philadelphia in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, Dickerson has served as the Eagles’ left guard and has earned Pro Bowl recognition in each of the past three seasons.
