A stinger grossly shortened Eagles running back Saquon Barkley’s day against the Titans in Week 2. As a Week 3 Monday night game against the Bears looms, Barkley is undeterred — but also cognizant of the situation.
“I’ve had a history of [stingers] before,” Barkley said Friday, via Tim McManus of ESPN. “This is the first bad one I had in a long time. It’s also like a wake-up call to me. I’ve been super active focusing on my lower body and longevity of my career. I probably wasn’t as great as I needed to be with my neck stability and strengthening my neck. So it’s putting that within my routine and having that as part of my process and kind of the same way I attack everything from head to toe, do the same thing with my neck.
“It’s good to have an MRI knowing it’s nothing, hopefully, God willing, where I worry about my career and I can just go out there and play free.”
The injury happened on the first play from scrimmage at Tennessee. Barkley later returned wearing a neck collar, but he finished the day with only four carries for nine yards and one catch for 11 yards.
Barkley was limited in practice on Thursday. He fully participated on Friday.
Will the injury affect him on Monday?
“I don’t think so,” Barkley said. “That’s why I’m rehabbing my ass off, to get it as strong as it needs to be. I feel like I’m in a really good spot. I know they wouldn’t let me go out there if I wasn’t able to do it.
“I’m going to let the game come, and I’m going to go out there and play fearless, don’t worry about.”
The Eagles are 2-0 after narrow wins against the overmatched Commanders and Titans. Philly may be facing a third-string quarterback in Chicago on Monday night, giving the Eagles a golden opportunity to move to 3-0.
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