Should Saquon Barkley play on Sunday? Eagles fans and players weigh in
To play or not to play, that is the question.
A question specifically for Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, who's on the cusp of breaking the NFL season rushing record.
With one regular season game left to go, Barkley only needs 101 yards rushing to break Eric Dickerson's record of 2,105, set in 1984 for the Los Angeles Rams. It's an attainable number for Barkley, who became only the ninth running back ever to top more than 2,000 rushing yards in a season Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys.
During the Dallas game, Barkley rushed for 167 total yards. In Week 16 against the Washington Commanders, he had 150.
And while most Philadelphia fans can agree it would be amazing to have Barkley get the record in his first season with the Eagles, there's an argument to be made to keep him off the field next Sunday.
First, win or lose, the game doesn't really matter.
The Eagles already clinched the NFC East with their 41-7 win over the Cowboys in Week 17 and are locked into the Number 2 seed – along with home field advantage – for the first round of the playoffs.
Second, playing Barkley means risking injury to one of the team's best players, and the Birds won't have a bye week heading into the playoffs to rest and recover.
Fans – and Barkley's teammates – told CBS News Philadelphia they're split on whether or not he should get a shot at making history, or prioritize staying healthy for a Super Bowl run.
"I feel like he should go for the record," one fan said. "I feel like he should play the first half of the game and go for it, get it, and take the second half of the game off."
Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown agrees. "Of course, why not. I want to be a part of it," he said. "Looking back on the year, I want to say hey, that's my teammate, you know. And he did it."
Another fan who spoke with CBS News Philadelphia had a different take. "Take the week off buddy. Take it off," he said. "Winning the Super Bowl's a bigger deal."
"I would love him to have the record but you know, of course we need him way bigger than the record," said cornerback Darius Slay. "I would love for him to have that record, definitely after what Dickerson said too."
Speaking with NBC's Maria Taylor Sunday night, Dickerson said he's happy for Barkley, but admitted he hopes he *doesn't* break his record.
"I mean it's just common sense," he said. "People say 'Oh, records are meant to be broken.' I'm like well, you don't have a record then."
Still, Dickerson went on to tell Taylor that his advice to Barkley heading into the final game of the season is to cherish the moment. "Even getting 2,000 yards, if you break the record you know, even cherish that even more."
The Eagles wrap up their season against the 3-13, last-place-in-the-NFC-East-New York Giants, who famously let Barkley go into free agency – a saga documented during the Giants' last season of Hard Knocks.
Some might argue that it would be the cherry on top of a historic season for Barkley to smash the rushing record against his former team and division rival.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni has not yet announced a decision on whether Barkley or any of the team's starters will play on Sunday. Kickoff against the Giants is set for Jan. 5 at 1 p.m. on CBS News Philadelphia.
