Saquon Barkley seems set to take a seat out the Philadelphia Eagles ultimate regular-season sport Sunday, denying the operating again his probability at breaking Eric Dickerson’s NFL single-season dashing report.
Barkley would end the season with 2,005 yards dashing, simply 101 yards shy of breaking Dickerson’s report of two,105 yards set with the Los Angeles Rams in 1984.
The Eagles (13-3) clinched the NFC East and the No 2 seed within the convention, leaving little to play for in Sunday’s residence sport in opposition to the New York Giants.
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni declined Wednesday to say outright which starters would play and which of them would sit out, saying of Barkley, “he’ll in all probability be any individual that rests.”
Sirianni stated he talked with Barkley, in his first season with the Eagles after six years with the Giants, about his choice.
“I believe it’s fairly apparent how particular this man is,” Sirianni stated.
Sirianni and the Eagles determined enjoying Barkley was not value risking harm to maybe their most useful participant and solely the ninth operating again in NFL historical past to prime 2,000 yards dashing in a season.
Win, lose or tie in opposition to the Giants, the Eagles will host the Inexperienced Bay Packers or Washington Commanders in a wild-card playoff sport.
Sirianni had stated he deliberate to talk to everybody, together with gamers, coaches, normal supervisor Howie Roseman and proprietor Jeffrey Lurie earlier than making his choice.
“It wasn’t the best choice to undergo,” Sirianni stated.
Sirianni doubtless will relaxation the majority of the starters – notably quarterback Jalen Hurts, who sat out Sunday’s rout of Dallas with the lingering results of a concussion – to get them rested and wholesome forward of what the franchise expects can be a significant run to the Tremendous Bowl.
Hurts was nonetheless within the NFL’s concussion protocol on Sunday and couldn’t observe or play till he was cleared.
With a pursuit to the Tremendous Bowl forward, Barkley’s run on the dashing report seems grounded.
“On the finish of the day, I needed to make the choice on what I felt was finest,” Sirianni stated.
After he ran for 167 yards in Sunday’s win in opposition to Dallas – the 27-year-old Barkley stated, he wished the report, however he would do what was finest for the group, even when that meant sitting out the final sport of the common season.
Barkley signed a three-year take care of the Eagles for $26m assured and $37.75m general, making him the highest-paid operating again in franchise historical past.
