For the fortunate teams, the last week of the NFL season can be used as a way to rest and get ready for a deep playoff push. Despite this, some players still have a lot to potentially play for in this final week of the regular season. One record in particular that fans have been eyeing the entire year is of course Eric Dickerson’s all time rushing record, a record Saquon Barkley only needs 101 more yards to beat. Despite how close Saquon is to the record, he and head coach Nick Sirianni have both made it clear in recent interviews that Barkley has no intention of playing against his former team, The New York Giants, ending his race for the coveted single season rushing record. This is not an easy decision for a team that understands both how rare an opportunity like this is, and how difficult it is to get to a Super Bowl.
With their loss to the Commanders in week 16 and their win in week 17 against the Cowboys, the Eagles have secured their spot as the two seed in the AFC, going against the Packers in the wild-card round of the playoffs who they beat in a close game 29-34 all the way back in week 1. Following the wild-card week the Eagles need to potentially play teams like the Lions or Vikings, both of which are offensive juggernauts. I really don’t envy Nick Sirianni for having to make this decision which, at least in the moment, feels like a lose lose situation. He either sits Saquon, which will infuriate Eagles and non-Eagles fans alike, or he puts Barkley in and risks ending the Eagles playoff run before it even begins. Even worse, it’s a decision that Sirianni will never know if he made correctly, which is just one of the many difficult responsibilities of being a head coach. Another important aspect that needs to be considered is if Saquon plays sunday, the entire o-line plays sunday too, an o-line that had three players just nominated for pro-bowls this season. This isn’t to say that the linemen wouldn’t want to help Saquon get the record, on the contrary, but for the coach and GM getting ready for a potential Super Bowl run, that risk is far too great.
The pressing question here is, what if the Eagles don’t get a ring, won’t that be a waste of Barkley’s amazing season? While I certainly don’t think it would be a waste for the Eagles since Saquon is only the 9th player to rush for 2000 yards in a season in NFL history, you can’t deny a record like that is not easily broken. What’s more, if the Eagles don’t get a ring it will be a devastating loss looking back to not have cemented Barkley as one of the greatest running backs ever. Despite this, at the end of the day, the NFL isn’t just about records and no coach or player wants to jeopardize their team’s Super Bowl chances. However, with this decision it’s more important than ever that the Eagles use their bye effectively and are ready to come out playing for that ring when wildcard weekend starts.
