Barkley ran for 176 yards against his old team in Week 7 and averaged 158.5 yards per game over the past two weeks despite being pulled early in the fourth quarter against Dallas. He ran for 109 yards in the first quarter alone against the Commanders in Week 16 and should easily hit the century mark against New York’s 31st-ranked run defense.
But is breaking Dickerson’s record worth risking Barkley’s health on Sunday? It depends on who you ask. For his part, Barkley is saying all the right things.
“The way I look at it, if it’s in God’s plan, then it is,” Barkley told reporters. “I’m not overly trying to go get it. I’m not scared of it. I would love to, but at the end of the day, also, we’ve got bigger things that we’re focusing on.”
Meanwhile, left tackle Jordan Mailata expressed frustration that the team couldn’t get Barkley the record against the Cowboys and said he would lobby for the starters to play against the Giants.
“Why not?” Mailata said. “It’s an opportunity to make history. We never really spoke about the Giants next week but we just kind of had the feeling that if we don’t go for it today, we might sit out. Coach hasn’t really said anything yet. But we’ll see.”
Actually, head coach Nick Sirianni said, “We’ll do what we need to do, what’s right for the football team. I’ve got a lot to think about. I’m going to enjoy this, and I’ll think about it tonight at some point.”
Known for being a “player’s coach,” Sirianni understands what’s at stake in an otherwise meaningless game against the Giants next week. He knows how much pride players like Mailata and longtime right tackle Lane Johnson would take in clearing a path for the NFL’s all-time leading rusher.
More importantly, he understands what the record would mean to the 69,796 fans that fill Lincoln Financial Field for every home game.
If he’s smart, he and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore will draw up a run-heavy game script for next week’s matchup, giving the players and fans something they’ll remember for years to come while sticking it to the division rival that should never have let Barkley go in the first place.
