As the Eagles got deeper into the second half of their 41-7 blowout win over the Cowboys on Sunday afternoon, several players knew Saquon Barkley was getting closer.
And closer. And closer.
Then with a 23-yard run early in the fourth quarter, Barkley became just the ninth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season.
“Being a fan of the game and the running back position, to reach a milestone and put myself up there with eight other backs that I respect, and some of them I grew up watching, definitely means a lot,” Barkley said. “But at the same time, I wouldn’t be able to do that without this team. Like I said, you can’t be great without the greatness of others. And I’m just happy I was able to be a part of the team and be able to reach a milestone like that.”
While Barkley will be the guy getting credit for the 2,000-yard season, he didn’t do it alone and he’s always quick to give his teammates credit. Almost as quick as his teammates were to push for the milestone on Sunday afternoon.
As the Eagles got closer to 2,000, Lane Johnson and others on the O-line were determined to get Barkley there. After Barkley crossed the mark, head coach Nick Sirianni called a timeout and gave Barkley’s teammates a chance to celebrate with him. Barkley finished the day with 31 carries for 167 yards.
“It’s special,” Sirianni said. “What did you say, nine people have done that? Nine total. I don’t know all the names, but I imagine they’re pretty special names. Saquon is pretty special. This offensive line is pretty special. This offense is pretty special.
“I know the guys were excited when that happened. Yeah, it’s just a cool thing to be a part of. Any time you can be a part of something special, that’s what’s cool about being part of a team.”
1. Eric Dickerson: 2,105 — 19842. Adrian Peterson: 2,097 — 20123. Jamal Lewis: 2,066 — 20034. Barry Sanders: 2,053 — 19975. Derrick Henry: 2,027 — 20206. Terrell Davis: 2,008 — 19987. Chris Johnson: 2,006 — 2009
8. Saquon Barkley: 2,005 — 2024
9. O.J. Simpson: 2,003 — 1973
The next question: Will the Eagles go for the all-time record next week?
As the Eagles enter Week 18 against the Giants and their bottom-of-the-barrel run defense, Barkley is just 101 yards shy of breaking Dickerson’s NFL record, which has stood for 40 years.
The problem is that the Eagles are already locked into the No. 2 seed and they haven’t had a week off since their early Week 5 bye. Thanks to the Vikings’ win over the Packers on Sunday afternoon, there’s no chance for the Eagles to end up with the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
So this creates a problem for Sirianni to solve.
Do the Eagles rest everyone next week or go for history?
“We’ll do what we need to do, what’s right for the football team,” Sirianni said. “Always got to do what’s right for the football team to reach our goals of what we need to do. Like I said, I’ve got a lot to think about. I’m going to enjoy this, and I’ll think about it tonight at some point.”
It was clear that Barkley and the starting offensive line remained in the game into the fourth quarter of Sunday’s blowout in an effort to get over that 2,000-yard mark. Once they did, Barkley exited.
It’s very possible the Eagles will be happy with the milestone and will forgo an attempt to break that longstanding record in a meaningless regular season finale next week as they gear up for what they hope will be a long playoff run.
“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, and we’re able to clinch the division right here, whether we play next week or not. 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.”
At least several Eagles starters on offense want to play next week. They want Barkley to get that record, not just for him but for the whole team.
Left tackle Jordan Mailata said he will push 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.”
Star receiver A.J. Brown said he would be willing to play next week too. He said he thinks it would be cool to one day tell his kids about how his teammate broke the all-time record and how he was a part of it.
Of course, the Eagles’ ultimate goal isn’t to break a record. It’s to win a Super Bowl.
And if the starters play next week in an attempt to get a record and someone gets hurt — knock on wood — it would be an all-time backfire.
“We just wanted to get to 2,000 and we were fine with that,” Johnson said. “Better to be safe than sorry.”
It’s worth noting that starting quarterback Jalen Hurts missed this game with a concussion after leaving the Commanders game in the first quarter. If the Eagles want to get Hurts some work next week so that he doesn’t sit out for most of three straight weeks entering the playoffs, then the starting offensive line would play too. And then maybe it makes sense to throw Barkley on the field with them.
To borrow Sirianni’s words: We’ll see.
Throughout his first season with the Eagles, Barkley has been a team player. Earlier this season when he had a chance to set a career-best against his former team, Barkley told Sirianni he’d “rather see the young boys eat.”
After winning his first NFC East title in his seventh season in the division, Barkley said the decision about next week was completely in Sirianni’s hands.
“Whatever his decision is, I’m all for it,” Barkley said. “If his mindset is, we’ll go out there and try it, I’ll go out there and try it. But his mindset is, let’s rest and get ready for this run, then I’m all for that too.”
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