On Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles experienced a brief scare when Saquon Barkley, MVP candidate and leading offensive player of the year candidate, went to the medical tent in the first half after being hit by Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.

The Steelers defender hit Barkley in the right knee, causing the star running back to land on his shoulder. The Eagles had Barkley evaluated since he didn’t play the rest of the first half, which led to extra work for backup running back Kenny Gainwell.

In the TV broadcast, Barkley was seen on the sidelines with his helmet on, which was a good sign for his possible return. The former New York Giants star finally came back onto the field in the second half. He finished the game with a pedestrian 65 yards on 19 carries and two receptions for nine yards.

It wasn’t a typical performance from the star running back, who was one of the best players in the league this season. However, Eagles fans were more concerned about Barkley’s health after the game. Philadelphia has a big matchup against the Washington Commanders in Week 16.

According to PHLY’s Zach Berman, Barkley told reporters after the game that his injury was “nothing crazy, just a little minor.” And that he is preparing for next week.

Eagles fans are breathing a big sigh of relief as Philadelphia can’t afford for Barkley to get seriously injured at this point in the season. The 27-year-old running back plays a crucial role in this offense and is one of the reasons why they share the best record in the NFC with the Detroit Lions at 12-2.

It will be interesting to see if Barkley appears on the Week 16 injury report and if so, what his status will be with the Commanders. For now, though, the Eagles are happy to have picked up victory in a physical game against their in-state rivals.

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