With the NFC East champion Philadelphia Eagles locked into their No. 2 seed for the 2024 playoffs, only one question remains entering Week 18: Will Saquon Barkley have the opportunity to make history?
During his , Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said that he remains undecided as to whether Barkley will play Sunday, but made it clear it will ultimately be an organization-wide decision.
"I'll talk to our staff, I'll talk to the players, I'll talk to (general manager) Howie (Roseman), I'll talk to (Eagles owner) Mr. (Jeffrey) Lurie," Sirianni said. "I'll talk to everybody to try and make sure I'm making the best decision for the football team."
Barkley is 101 yards shy of breaking Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record of 2,105, an elusive mark that has so far stood the test of 40 seasons. The Eagles running back became the ninth member of the 2,000-yard club with 167 yards in last Sunday's win over the Cowboys, which clinched the division title.
But Philadelphia is no longer in contention for the conference's No. 1 seed after the Minnesota Vikings topped the Green Bay Packers in Week 17, making the Eagles' regular-season finale this Sunday against the Giants more of an opportunity to rest starters rather than compete for a better position in the postseason.
While pondering the scenario on Tuesday, Sirianni recalled a recent time when he wanted to give wide receiver DeVonta Smith a chance to set a new franchise mark.
"Everything is taken into account," Sirianni said. "I'm going to always do what's best for the team and the individuals going for that. ... I'm still thinking through a little bit of this too. ... You take a lot into account. What's the best thing for the team and then also what's the best things for the individuals going for the record?
"If you think back a couple of years ago to 2021, Smitty was going for the rookie receiver record -- I think he was going to break DeSean Jackson's rookie receiving record. Everybody else was resting, but we wanted for everyone else -- whatever it was -- we didn't play some other guys in that game, but we went and got him that record. Every situation is a little different. Not saying one way or the other or how that's going to play out or even that I made a decision yet, but I got to tell the guys first when I do come to that decision, but a lot goes into it."
Attempts at breaking Dickerson's single-season rushing record do not come often, making Barkley's situation far different than the one Sirianni encountered with Smith three seasons ago.
Barkley breaking the record could also line him up for more individual awards, including the AP NFL Most Valuable Player, an honor that hasn't been bestowed on a running back since 2012 (Adrian Peterson); only two other tailbacks this millennium have received the award (Shaun Alexander, LaDainian Tomlinson).
For Barkley, he will be preparing for whichever decision comes this week, but maintained that his ultimate goal in signing with the Eagles this season wasn't just to break records.
"Whatever his decision is, I'm all for it," Barkley Sunday. "If his mindset is, we'll go out there and try it, I'll go out there and try it. If his mindset is, let's rest and get ready for this run, I'm all for that, too ... I came here to do something special. Breaking a record is special, but I want a banner up there. I think we all do."
