Saquon Barkley Injured, Latest on Eagles Star's Status vs. Commanders After Exit vs. Cowboys

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley provided a positive update after leaving Monday night's 38-21 loss to the Dallas Cowboys during the third quarter.

Barkley, who missed the Eagles' previous two games with a hamstring injury, told reporters that he hurt his back on a 29-yard run in the first quarter while trying to "compensate" for the hamstring ailment:

However, Barkley told reporters that "his hamstring came out great," and added that he doesn't anticipate missing any time with the back injury.

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The 2-5 Eagles will be back in action Sunday night when they go on the road to face the NFC East rival Washington Commanders.

Per ESPN's Tim McManus, Barkley played only nine offensive snaps on Monday, but he touched the ball on all of them, finishing with 62 rushing yards and a touchdown on seven carries, plus two receptions for nine yards.

Barkley appeared to be in discomfort following a five-yard run late in the third quarter, as he was hunched over and wincing on the sidelines.

The 29-year-old veteran did not return to the game after that, as the rushing burden largely fell on the shoulders of Dameon Pierce from that point forward.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Barkley discussed the difficulty of playing through injuries due to the desire to help his team win.

"It's kind of the school of thought I come from: I truly love this game, and I feel like if you're able to go, sometimes you've got to push your body to the limit," Barkley said. "I'm trying, it's just not responding the way I want it to respond right now. It sucks because I'm trying to be the best leader I can be, and it's hard when you're not able to be out there and perform for your team."

Philly took a 21-20 lead during the third quarter, but it was all Dallas from there, as the Cowboys scored 18 unanswered points to close out the game.

Given Barkley's limitations, the absence of wide receivers DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks, and the fact that quarterback Jalen Hurts is out for the season, the Tanner McKee-led offense put forth a valiant effort on Monday night.

The Eagles accrued 321 yards of total offense and converted 23 first downs without several of their most important offensive players.

While Smith and Wicks will be back at some point, and Barkley's comments suggest he intends to play next week against the Commanders, the Eagles have no choice other than to move forward with their backup quarterback in McKee.

That makes having a healthy and effective Barkley even more paramount, but with the injuries continuing to mount, it is fair to wonder if he will be limited moving forward.