BREAKING: A.J. Brown Re-Signs Eagles, Commits to Finish Career in Philadelphia…….

Entering their Week 18 game against the New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni must make a significant choice.

He must choose the benefits and drawbacks of either letting him go out against the New York Giants, his former team, or resting running back Saquon Barkley before the playoffs in order to acquire the 101 yards he requires to surpass Eric Dickerson’s single-season running record.

Making such a choice is not simple. Barkley said following Sunday’s 41-7 victory over the Dallas Cowboys that although he would dearly want a chance at the record, he is good with whatever Sirianni decides.

Barkley has great ability to surpass a record that has stood for forty years and maybe do so against his old club. Along with Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, and maybe Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, it would also be another major reason for him to enter the MVP race.

There is more risk than reward for the Eagles to place Barkley on the field in what would essentially be a meaningless game, unless they have a chance to move into the No. 1 seed and earn a bye week with homefield advantage throughout the playoffs (there is a little mathematical chance for it, but the odds are not in their favor).

He just has seven total touches (345) away from his career high (352), and has already carried the ball more times (314) than in any season. For a seasoned running back with past injuries during his career, that is an enormous burden.

Although the Eagles are stocked on offense, Barkley has been the player who has brought everything together and truly turned that side of the ball into a Super Bowl-contending machine. Should they be even fairly healthy before the playoffs, they will have as good of a shot as anyone in the NFL to claim it all. It should be the only priority, the expectation, and the main aim. He is among the players they need to be fresh and healthy if they are going to do that and qualify for the playoffs.

Any moment and on any kind of play might cause injuries. The game is designed in such manner. That still does not mean teams should expose pointless hazards when they may be avoided. Teams with nothing to play for the regular season finale often seat their key starters for this reason. There are probably some important Eagles sitting versus the Giants. Among them Barkley ought to be one. The record is within reach, and those chances hardly ever present themselves. Neither do the opportunities to win Super Bowls, though. If Sirianni and the Eagles ended up injured chasing the record, the possible negative effects and backlash would be significant, particularly given it would mean losing a chance at a title.