With the 13-3 Philadelphia Eagles locked into the No. 2 seed for the NFC portion of the playoffs, head coach Nick Sirianni delivered expected news when he confirmed on Wednesday he’ll rest starters such as running back Saquon Barkley during this Sunday’s regular-season finale versus the 3-13 New York Giants even though Barkley is just 101 rushing yards shy of breaking the single-season record of 2,105 yards on the ground that Eric Dickerson set during the 1984 campaign.
After Sirianni announced that Barkley wouldn’t play against the Giants, the ball-carrier insisted he was fine with the decision.
“There’s no disappointment,” Barkley said, as shared by Bob Brookover of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. “At the end of the day I’ve done a lot of great things. I’ll have a time…to be able to reflect on the season and I’ve done a lot of great things so far this year. I’m blessed to even be in a position to have the opportunity to do that. Like I said, it’s not in God’s plan, but what is in God’s plan is an opportunity to get ready for the playoffs and get myself…and all the starters a little break so we can get into the playoffs healthy and make a run.”
While featuring for the Giants from 2018 through last season, Barkley was part of a single playoff victory that occurred in January 2023. On paper, the Eagles team that will enter the upcoming postseason tournament is the best Barkley has ever played for at the highest level.
“He’s the head coach for a reason,” Barkley said about Sirianni. “He makes the decisions, and whatever decision he wanted to make, I let him know if you want me to play, I’m going to go out there and make sure I get it. And if we don’t, I’m OK with that too.”
Sirianni reportedly was on the hot seat before the start of the campaign and before the Eagles went into their Week 5 bye at 2-2. Since that time, Philadelphia has won 11 of 12 games thanks largely to Barkley’s efforts.
In short, Sirianni couldn’t afford to risk Barkley’s health in a meaningless contest even though the 27-year-old could’ve made history against his former club.
Per the StatMuse website, Barkley ended Week 17 leading the NFL with 2,283 total yards from scrimmage for the season. As of Thursday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed him as an overwhelming betting favorite at -5000 odds to win the Offensive Player of the Year Award next month.
“My family probably wanted it a little bit more than me,” Barkley added about the single-season rushing record, “but at the end of the day, the most important thing is winning football games and winning the playoffs. I got a bigger goal in mind.”
For what it’s worth, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Eagles second among the betting favorites behind the 14-2 Detroit Lions (+190) at +300 odds to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LIX as of Thursday.
