Saquon Barkley's pursuit of Eric Dickerson's 40-year-old rushing record could get grounded by his coach.
Nick Sirianni's decision is more difficult than it seems.
Barkley needs 101 yards rushing against his former team on Sunday to set the NFL's single-season record. But the Philadelphia Eagles (13-3) are locked into the No. 2 seed in the NFC so the outcome of their game won't affect the standings.
Win, lose or tie against the New York Giants, the Eagles will host the Green Bay Packers or Washington Commanders in a wildcard playoff game.
They don't have a bye so this game is an opportunity for Sirianni to rest most of his starters ahead of the playoff s and avoid risking injuries to key players.
Winning a Super Bowl is Philadelphia's priority. The Eagles are built to win it all. They have a dynamic offense and the league's top-ranked defense.
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Putting the team first is a coach's responsibility. Chasing individual records could jeopardize the organization's championship hopes if Barkley goes down in a meaningless game.
The Eagles can't afford to lose quarterback Jalen Hurts, receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith or any of their starting offensive linemen, especially right tackle Lane Johnson.
All those reasons make it a simple choice for Sirianni to rest Barkley.
It's not that easy, however.
"Everything is taken into account," Sirianni said Tuesday on WIP radio in Philadelphia. "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. ... 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."
In 2021, Sirianni rested several starters in the final regular-season game with the Eagles locked into the No. 7 seed. But he played wide receiver Smith long enough for him to break the team's rookie receiving record.
Barkley became the ninth player in NFL history to reach 2,000 yards rushing early in the fourth quarter of a 41-7 victory over Dallas. Sirianni immediately pulled him out with several minutes remaining and Barkley finished the game at 2,005 yards. Dickerson had 2,105 for the Los Angeles Rams in 1984.
"The way I look at it, if it's in God's plan, then it is," Barkley said. "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. ... Rest, I'm fine with that, too, because I didn't come here and sign here just to rush for 2,000 or break a record. I want to do something special, meaning special with the team."
With Barkley on board publicly, that takes pressure off Sirianni.
Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh presented an argument for playing the starters.
"We're gonna be playing to win at all times. That never changes," Harbaugh said Monday night on SiriusXM's "Let's Go!" "And I like what Derwin James said, he's our captain. ... he said: 'Eleven wins sounds better than 10.' We're attacking it with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind."
The Chargers can't finish lower than the No. 6 seed and have a chance to move up to the fifth spot with a win and a loss by the Steelers.
Hurts could be a factor in Sirianni's decision to play or rest Barkley and the starters. Hurts has missed the past seven quarters after sustaining a concussion against Washington.
He could be rusty going into the playoff s after a nearly three-week layoff . So, Sirianni could choose to play Hurts a few series, one quarter or however long enough to get him back on track.
If so, the starting offense would play. But playing Hurts may be too risky for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
Ultimately, the same goes for Barkley.
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