Breaking News: Eagles odds and ends: Under center formation returned to the offense – is it here to stay?…see more

From the opening possession Sunday, the Eagles made one point clear crystal: Despite their failure to spring the run game from under center against the Vikings, they were willing to try that formation again.

And, wow, what a difference. Let’s get the obvious out of the way first: the Giants’ defense wasn’t, and isn’t, very good. They’ve got some Grade A pass rushers, but overall, they’re not a good defense, and missing two starters in the secondary didn’t help.

But the Eagles, who showcased 16 snaps of under center in Week 7 against the Vikings but only averaged 1.3 yards per carry from that formation, weren’t done trying.

On the second play from scrimmage against the Giants, with Fred Johnson aligned as an extra offensive lineman, Saquon Barkley took the handoff from Jalen Hurts, saw daylight on the left side thanks to an outstanding combo block from Brett Toth and Landon Dickerson that drove back a defensive tackle into a linebacker along with an edge seal block by Jordan Mailata and downfield block from DeVonta Smith, and scampered 65 yards untouched to the end zone.