Eagles snap counts show Barkley’s limited return and Lemon’s larger role against Cowboys
Saquon Barkley played 10 offensive snaps in Philadelphia’s 38-21 loss to Dallas, while rookie receiver Makai Lemon played 60 and scored his first NFL touchdown.
The Philadelphia Eagles’ snap counts from their 38-21 loss to the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field on October 26 show a limited return for Saquon Barkley and an expanded role for rookie receiver Makai Lemon. Eagles Wire reported that Barkley played 10 offensive snaps before a back injury limited his availability, while Lemon played 60 snaps and caught his first NFL touchdown.
Barkley had seven carries for 62 yards and a touchdown in those 10 snaps, 15% of Philadelphia’s offensive plays, according to Eagles Wire. The report did not specify when the back injury occurred or give a further medical update. His brief appearance left Dameon Pierce with 42 snaps, or 64% of the offense, and Elijah Mitchell with 14, or 21%. Pierce ran 14 times for 47 yards and a touchdown.
Barkley’s return followed a hamstring injury
Barkley entered the game after being listed as questionable with a hamstring injury. CBS Sports reported before kickoff that he was active, having practiced on a limited basis on Thursday and Friday and fully on Saturday. CBS said he had 182 rushing yards and no touchdowns in four earlier appearances and had played fewer than 16% of offensive snaps in two of them. The back injury Eagles Wire described after the Dallas game was a separate reported limitation on this return.
Philadelphia’s running game had struggled in his absence. In its pregame account, CBS Sports put the Eagles’ average at 109 rushing yards per game across four games with Barkley and 28.5 across two games without him. Those small team samples describe the contrast going into Dallas; they do not isolate how much of it Barkley caused.
Lemon played 91% of the offensive snaps
Lemon caught seven passes for 67 yards and a touchdown while playing 60 of Philadelphia’s 66 offensive snaps, Eagles Wire reported. His third-quarter scoring catch from Tanner McKee briefly put the Eagles ahead 21-20. Dallas then scored 18 unanswered points. The rookie’s workload came with DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks out; fellow receiver Darius Cooper played 61 snaps, while Marquise Brown played 36 and Elijah Moore 22.
McKee completed 23 of 35 passes for 211 yards, one touchdown and one interception. On the other side, Dallas gained 416 total yards and converted eight of 13 third downs, according to Eagles Wire. Javonte Williams ran for 155 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries as the Cowboys controlled the game after Philadelphia’s brief lead. The defeat was the Eagles’ fifth consecutive loss and left them 2-5.
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Sources and context
- Eagles snap counts vs. Cowboys: Breakdown, analysis from 38-21 lossEagles Wire, republished by Yahoo Sports
- Will Saquon Barkley play vs. Cowboys? A look at the Eagles RB's status against CowboysCBS Sports
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.