Everything seemed in place for Saquon Barkley to make history on Sunday.
Just 101 yards shy of Eric Dickerson’s record for most rushing yards in a season, Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles hosted the New York Giants, Barkley’s former team.
But now Barkley may not be able to tackle the record of 2,105 rushing yards in a campaign. Barkley will likely have the day off Sunday, coach Nick Sirianni said.
“He will probably be one of the players who will have a day off,” Sirianni said.
Barkley’s chance to set a new record was a hot topic in Philadelphia this week, as his presence was in doubt to rest before the playoffs.
The Eagles won the division title last week and the game against the Giants will have no impact in the standings. Since their bye week was in Week 5, the Eagles played 12 straight games, which had some weight in the decision.
“Obviously, it’s a very special record that was set a long time ago by a great player. It’s a record that involves everyone. We measure all aspects, said Sirianni. But in the end, we try to do what’s best for the team. It wasn’t the easiest decision to make, but we have great people here and we got opinions from many people, including the players. »
Sirianni said he spoke with Barkley. He did not reveal the content of their discussions, but he noted that the team has players “who don’t just think about themselves and want to do the best for the team.”
Opinions were divided in the Philadelphia locker room after the victory against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 17. Lane Johnson leaned towards rest for the starters, since it is “better to be safe than sorry.”
Jordan Mailata said he plans to “push” to play starters against New York.
“This is an opportunity to make history,” Mailata said. We never really talked about the Giants next week, but we had a feeling that if we didn’t go today, we’d probably be off. We don’t know. The coach hasn’t really told us anything yet. »
