January 01, 2025
Eric Hartline/Imagn Images
A legendary season for Eagles running back Saquon Barkley will not result in the NFL rushing record.
With the Eagles locked into the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoff picture and nothing to play for other than pride in Week 18 against the Giants, the Birds will rest "some guys," head coach Nick Sirianni said on Wednesday afternoon.
That includes Saquon Barkley, who is exactly 100 yards short of tying Eric Dickerson's 40-year single-season rushing record.
After a 167-yard day on the ground in the Eagles' NFC East-clinching win in Week 17, Barkley stands at 2,005 rushing yards on the season, becoming just the ninth player ever to cross the 2000-yard threshold in a single campaign.
It would've been a monumental accomplishment, something that may have even been considered unfathomable the last few years with the way the league has gotten away from being a ground-and-pound sport, too. Still, it's the correct decision. It's about a Lombardi Trophy and a parade down Broad Street, not rewriting the regular season history books.
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