Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni has a big decision to make going into their Week 18 game against the New York Giants.
He has to weigh the pros and cons of potentially resting running back Saquon Barkley before the playoffs, or letting him go out there against the New York Giants — his former team — to get the 101 yards he needs to break Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record.
It is not an easy decision.
Barkley said after Sunday’s 41-7 win over the Dallas Cowboys that even though he would love a chance at the record, he is good with whatever Sirianni decides.
The potential for Barkley to break a record that has stood for 40 years and to potentially do so against his former team is absolutely compelling. It would also be another big argument for him to get into the MVP race alongside Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and potentially Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
But unless the Eagles have a chance to move into the No. 1 seed and earn a bye week with homefield advantage throughout the playoffs (there is a small mathematical chance for it, but the odds are not in their favor), there is more risk than reward for the Eagles to put Barkley on the field in what would largely be a meaningless game.
He has already carried the ball more times (314) than he has in any season and is only seven total touches (345) away from his career high (352). That is a huge workload for a veteran running back who has already had some injuries throughout his career.
The Eagles are loaded on offense, but Barkley has been the player who has brought the entire thing together and really elevated that side of the ball into a Super Bowl-contending unit. If they are even reasonably healthy going into the playoffs, they will have as good of a chance as anybody in the NFL to win it all. It should be the biggest goal, the expectation and the only priority. If they are going to do that and win in the playoffs, he is one of the players they need to be fresh and healthy.
Injuries can happen at any time and on any play. That is the nature of the game. That still does not mean teams should take unnecessary risks when they can be avoided. That is why teams with nothing to play for in the regular season finale tend to sit their key starters. Several key Eagles will likely sit against the Giants. Barkley should be one of them. The record is within reach, and those opportunities rarely come around. But neither do the chances to win Super Bowls. The potential downside and backlash that Sirianni and the Eagles would face if he ended up getting injured pursuing the record would be massive, especially if it helped cost them a chance at a championship.
