Saquon Barkley hit a milestone in 1st year with Eagles. But with history in reach, Philadelphia now faces a dilemma

Because the Philadelphia Eagles ready to take the ball within the fourth quarter, offensive linemen have been buzzing.

“We acquired 48 extra yards,” left guard Landon Dickerson informed left sort out Jordan Mailata.

The Eagles led the Dallas Cowboys by 27 factors. Forty-eight yards till what, Mailata requested?

“To 2K, you large dummy,” Mailata recalled Dickerson’s response.

Operating again Saquon Barkley was on the cusp of changing into the ninth participant in NFL historical past to surpass 2,000 dashing yards in a season.

Barkley heard the chatter as proper sort out Lane Johnson informed fellow linemen “this mother-F’er wants this to get it” and “let’s go get it,” Barkley stated.

Philadelphia then handed the ball to its marquee 2024 offseason signing on six straight performs.

He ripped off 6 yards, then 11, then 3, then 9. After which, with a 23-yard burst up the left sideline, Barkley surpassed 2,000 dashing yards on the season and hit 2,005.

Head coach Nick Sirianni referred to as a timeout to drag Barkley from the sport. The Eagles celebrated.

“I’m not going to lie, simply being a fan of the sport and the operating again place, to succeed in a milestone and put myself up there with eight different backs that I respect, and a few of them I grew up watching, positively means loads,” Barkley stated after the 41-7 win. “You may’t be nice with out the greatness of others, and I’m simply joyful I used to be in a position to be part of the staff and have the ability to attain a milestone like that.”

On Sunday, because the Eagles clinched the NFC East, the person targets of Barkley and staff targets of the Eagles largely aligned. Philadelphia wanted this win, its thirteenth of the season, to lock in a house playoff sport. Barkley’s manufacturing — which included 137 yards after halftime — helped safe the choice.

However as Philadelphia appears to be like to its regular-season finale, the staff’s subsequent set of targets poses a dilemma. One other dashing report, much more historic, is in attain. And but: What if Barkley will get damage chasing it in a sport that received’t affect the Eagles’ playoff seeding? When the Minnesota Vikings beat the Inexperienced Bay Packers on Sunday night, the Eagles locked within the No. 2 seed within the NFC. Now not will subsequent week affect their postseason standing.

Sirianni has a call to make as he weighs dangers and rewards. Sunday afternoon, he punted it.

“We’ll all the time do what’s finest for these guys, and that would imply taking part in them, that would imply resting them,” Sirianni stated earlier than the Vikings’ win modified the calculus. “I’ve acquired to consider that. Trying ahead to going out on the sector and taking part in catch with my children after this, although.

“After which I’ll take into consideration that later.”

Will Barkley get probability to interrupt Eric Dickerson’s 40-year-old report?

In 1984, Los Angeles Rams operating again Eric Dickerson set the single-season dashing report with 2,105 yards.

Forty years later, nobody has handed him.

With 101 yards subsequent week, Barkley would hit 2,106 and break the longstanding tempo automotive. Much more poetically, he would achieve this in opposition to the staff that drafted him, then let him stroll in free company 9 months in the past. Within the Eagles and Giants’ first assembly this 12 months, Barkley rushed for 176 yards on simply 17 carries.

Breaking Dickerson’s report tempts the second total decide of the 2018 NFL Draft. He additionally understands how chasing it additional may jeopardize Philadelphia’s postseason targets.

“The way in which I have a look at it, if it is in God’s plan, then it’s,” Barkley stated. “I am not overly making an attempt to go get it. I’m not terrified of it. I’d like to. However on the finish of the day, additionally, we’ve acquired larger issues that we’re specializing in.

“I did not come right here and signal right here simply to hurry for two,000 or break a report. I wish to do one thing particular, that means particular with the staff.”

Barkley is the newest operating again, however not the primary, to enter the ultimate week of the common season with an actual probability to go Dickerson.

Adrian Peterson rushed for two,097 yards with the Minnesota Vikings in 2012, however his 199 yards within the regular-season finale helped the Vikings clinch a wild-card spot.

Jamal Lewis performed the whole 2003 regular-season finale regardless of the Baltimore Ravens clinching the AFC North earlier that day. His 114 yards entered him into the two,000-yard membership at 2,066 however not into the record-holder spot.

The closest rusher of the final decade was Derrick Henry in 2020, when he powered for two,027 yards for the Tennessee Titans. Henry collected a whopping 250 of these within the regular-season finale win that clinched the Titans’ AFC South title. He didn’t attain Dickerson.

So Sirianni’s most up-to-date parallel to contemplate in his choice dates again greater than 20 years. His choice to maintain Barkley in lengthy sufficient to hit 2,000 yards on Sunday however not could point out his tolerance threshold for the person report.

“I am going to do what I believe is critical and finest for the staff to place ourselves in that place, however I additionally am very delicate to information and all of the issues there,” Sirianni stated. “So, we’ll see the way it goes.”

The Eagles’ locker room was cut up.

To play or to not play? That’s Eagles’ Barkley query

Barkley’s proper sort out understands how uncommon it’s to play with the dashing champion.

When Johnson blocked for the 2013 title holder his rookie 12 months, he figured such greatness was par for the course.

Then greater than a decade handed earlier than he may reclaim that achievement. Additionally notable: LeSean McCoy led the league with 1,607 dashing yards that season. He was almost 500 yards faraway from the historical past books.

So Johnson celebrated Barkley crossing the two,000-yard mark as “particular.” That didn’t sway his opinion on Barkley taking part in a playoff-meaningless sport to catch Dickerson.

“I imply, Eric Dickerson’s report was 16 video games, so if it was 17 video games, it’s not going to make sense anyhow,” Johnson stated. “Eric Dickerson is who he’s. Saquon is who he’s. We simply wished to get to 2,000. We have been advantageous with that.

“Higher be protected than sorry.”

Barkley disputed the asterisk with nonetheless broader historic context, noting that sure, he has a seventeenth regular-season sport his record-setting predecessors didn’t — but additionally he’s not the primary to profit from a schedule enlargement.

Of the eight prior 2,000-yard rushers, seven performed 16 video games. O.J. Simpson rushed for two,003 yards in 1973 with simply 14 on his slate. Dickerson crossed the two,000-yard threshold in his fifteenth sport after which hit 2,105 after 98 extra in strive 16.

“I do know we do not actually talk about that, however in actuality, [Simpson] rushed for two,000 in 14 video games, [Dickerson], it took him 15,” Barkley stated. “So if something, it is like, why are we even having the dialog? Or for those who’re making an attempt to get [Dickerson]’s report, if that is the dialog, it needs to be, ‘You’ve acquired to do it in 14.’

“The way in which soccer is correct now, it is form of laborious to hurry for two,000 yards in 14 video games. So, whether or not it is 16, whether or not it is 17, it is a feat you can by no means take away from what I used to be in a position to do with the O-line. And solely eight different gamers did it, so it is a particular second.”

Teammates agreed. Receiver A.J. Brown informed Barkley to “get it carried out however be protected” as he returned to the sector to cross the plateau in opposition to the Cowboys, Brown additionally keen to hitch in updating the historical past books.

“I’d wish to say once I’m speaking to my children, ‘Oh, I used to be part of Saquon’s staff when he did that,’” Brown stated. “I wish to be part of it.”

Cornerback Darius Slay stated he’d “by no means witnessed no one getting 2,000 yards earlier than” and that he believed Barkley may have handed Dickerson on Sunday if he performed the rest of the fourth quarter.

When requested by the Los Angeles Occasions final week if he wished Barkley to go his report, Dickerson answered “completely not,” and added, “I don’t assume he’ll break it.”

That motivated Slay’s encouragement of Barkley, too.

“In fact we want him method larger than the report,” Slay stated. “However I’d love for him to have the report, particularly after what Dickerson stated — that was not cool.”

Barkley stated he didn’t see the feedback “as a shot” or “throwing shade” as a result of: “You shouldn’t need me to interrupt your report.”

The larger query shall be how strongly Sirianni feels concerning the threat and reward because the Eagles hope to return to the Tremendous Bowl two years after their final look, and win it seven years after their final title.

Barkley understands how troublesome that postseason street is after taking part in with a Giants staff that received fewer than seven video games 5 of his six years. He performed in simply two playoff video games, profitable one, in six years. Barkley solely discovered Sunday that division champions obtain hats and T-shirts to have a good time. He desires to learn to have a good time a Tremendous Bowl championship, too.

His finest profession season stands impartial of his finale participation.

“I got here right here to do one thing particular, and clearly breaking the report is particular,” Barkley stated. “However I desire a banner up there. I believe all of us do. However we gave ourselves an opportunity with that and clinched the playoffs earlier than and now with the division.

“Now it is as much as Nick, and we’ll see the place his mindset is.”