Tim McManus, ESPN Staff Writer
PHILADELPHIA — Eagles running back Saquon Barkley will miss Sunday’s final regular-season game against the New York Giants, ending his pursuit of a single-season rushing record.
With Philadelphia’s postseason seeding secured, coach Nick Sirianni indicated that Barkley would be one of the starters rested as the Eagles prepare for the playoffs.
“He’ll probably be the one to rest,” Sirianni said.
Barkley will end the regular season 101 yards away from breaking Eric Dickerson’s 1984 NFL record of 2,105 yards.
“(Breaking the record against the Giants) may have been a kind of full-circle moment, but at the end of the day, it wasn’t in God’s plan. I had bigger things in mind and we We got a good result.”It’s a chance to rest and prepare for the playoffs.”
Saquon Barkley
“(Sirianni) asked me if I wanted to play, if I wanted to do it,” Barkley said at his locker Wednesday. “On Sunday I said I probably didn’t care too much. When I slept on it, it was an opportunity to carve my name in football history, and I thought I might never get an opportunity like that again. So, I’m depressed, but at the end of the day, I don’t care about putting the team at risk.
“There’s a reason he’s the head coach. He makes those decisions, and no matter what decisions he makes, if he lets me play, I’m going to go out there. I told him I was going to make sure he got it. Don’t do it, I’m fine with that too.”
Whether Barkley should have a chance at a rushing title was a hot topic of debate in and around Philadelphia this week. The game against the Giants is irrelevant from a playoff position standpoint, as the Eagles (13-3) won the NFC East title and are locked in as the NFC’s No. 2 seed.
Due to the Week 5 bye, Philadelphia has played 12 consecutive games, which was a factor in the decision to sit out some key players.
“Obviously this is a very special record that has been maintained by great players for a very long time. This is a team record where everyone is involved. You have to weigh all of that,” Sirianni said. said. “But at the end of the day, you just try to do what’s best for the team. When you get a bye, you know how the players feel, the bruises and bruises, we can take care of them. We’re in a position to do that. We left ourselves behind.” In this situation… It wasn’t an easy decision, but we have great people in this building and we got a lot of input from a lot of people, including the players. ”
Editor’s picks
2 Related
Barclay said her family “probably wanted it a little more than I did.” He said his father struggled the most.
“You have to think about it,” Berkeley explained, “if I break it and it takes someone a year to break it, or if it takes another 40 to 50 years, our The name would have been added to that, but at the end of the day, the most important thing is winning football games, and he’s the one who raised me to only care about the team. , it’s okay for him to have a little selfish moment, but he’ll get over it. ”
Barkley added that it would have been “special” to be able to break the record against his former team, not because of revenge, but rather because of everyone in the Giants organization who helped him.
“It could have been a full-circle moment in a way, but at the end of the day, that wasn’t in God’s plan. I have bigger things in mind and I have a chance to rest and get ready for the playoffs.” ”
Sirianni also revealed that quarterback Jalen Hurts remains in concussion protocol. He was injured in Week 16 against the Washington Commanders and did not play in Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys.
After the Week 17 win over the Cowboys, opinions were divided in Philadelphia’s locker room. Right tackle Lane Johnson was leaning toward resting his starters under the premise that it’s “better to be safe than sorry.”
Meanwhile, left tackle Jordan Mailata said he plans to “push” into the starting lineup against New York.
“This is a chance to make history,” Mailata said. “We never talked about the Giants next week, just the feeling that if we don’t do our best today, we might be out. I don’t know. Coach hasn’t said anything yet. We’re watching.” Let’s see. ”
With his 167-yard performance against Dallas, Barkley became the ninth player in NFL history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season.
