The Philadelphia Eagles have had a remarkable turnaround this season. After losing six of their last seven to close out 2023, hopes were low on a franchise that lost its Hall of Fame center in Jason Kelce. However, a midseason turnaround after the bye, alongside the superstar acquisition of Saquon Barkley in the offseason, has completely flipped the script for the Eagles.
While Philadelphia’s defense is one of the best in the NFL, the offense isn’t far behind, thanks to the best season of Barkley’s career. With Eric Dickerson’s legendary record within touching distance, Barkley has even garnered MVP buzz in a quarterback-driven league.
Yet, he isn’t getting a chance to do it, thanks to head coach Nick Sirianni’s decision. How does the running back feel about the decision?
Saquon Barkley Unimpressed, Yet Understanding of Team’s Decision
The single-season rushing record, set by Dickerson nearly 40 years ago, felt like a seemingly impossible mark to overcome at 2,105. And for four decades, that statement rang true.
However, building on a remarkable MVP-caliber season, Barkley has come within touching distance. Through 16 games, he stands at 2,005 yards, just 101 shy of breaking the record.
While one might argue about the number of games, Barkley is still 34 carries behind Dickerson when he set the record, a number he hasn’t crossed once this season. Unfortunately, the opportunity to attempt the record has been taken away from him.
Earlier in the week, Sirianni officially announced that the Eagles would be resting key starters in Week 18 in preparation for Wild Card Weekend the following week.
For many, the decision didn’t sit right, especially with the record within running distance. Barkley, himself, was looking forward to the historic achievement.
“He asked me if I wanted to play, if I wanted to go for it. I said on Sunday, you know, I probably didn’t care too much for it.
“When I slept on it, there’s an opportunity to implant my name in football history, may never get another opportunity like that again. So, I’m down.”
Saquon Barkley reacts to the team deciding to not play him in the final game
Sounds like he told Nick Sirianni he wanted to do it, but is OK with the team’s decision to rest the starters: pic.twitter.com/5kYGANKj1E
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) January 1, 2025
When the decision came, even his family was disappointed. Probably even more than him, as he joked.
“Coach asked me what I would like to do and that conversation. He called me back and let me know we were probably going to be resting. My reaction was kind of — I told my family. Obviously, my family probably wanted it a little bit more than me.”
However, Barkley did put the coach’s decision above his own desires — calling it best for the team with bigger goals in mind, namely the Super Bowl.
“At the end of the day, the most important thing is winning football games and winning the playoffs. I got a big goal in mind,” Barkley said.
Barkley made sure to emphasize that Sirianni’s decision was final and that he was firmly behind it.
“He’s the head coach for a reason. He makes those decision and whatever decision he wanted to make, I let him know, ‘If you want me to play, I’m gonna go out there and make sure I get it. If we don’t, I’m okay with that too.'”
On the year, Barkley has been nothing short of sensational. With 345 carries on the year, he’s averaged 125 yards per game. By that metric, it felt practically guaranteed that Dickerson’s record would go down in Week 18.
That the superstar RB would get to accomplish it against his former team, the New York Giants, who drove him out of the organization in a rather controversial fashion, would be the proverbial icing on the cake.
Alas, it isn’t meant to be. But that shouldn’t take away from the unbelievable year Barkley has had in becoming the ninth player in history to surpass 2,000 rushing yards in a season.
Barkley Has Been A Massive Part of the Eagles’ Offense
PFN’s offense rankings combine statistics such as yards per play, points per drive, turnover percentage, success rate against the run and pass, third-down conversion rate, red-zone efficiency, pressure percentage when not blitzing, and various expected points added (EPA) measures against both the run and pass. These are then weighted accordingly to produce our rankings for each season.
Can the Philadelphia Eagles peak at the perfect time this year? It looks like it! The Eagles currently sit at 13th in our rankings, averaging a C+ grade.
The highlight machine that is Barkley has opened up offensive versatility that simply didn’t exist last season. The ninth 2,000-yard rusher in NFL history has led the top-ranked offense by EPA per rush (0.08).
The Eagles can produce against anyone, but if the offensive line remains a liability when it comes to pass blocking, Philly could be in a precarious spot if it falls behind in a playoff game.
The Eagles are the worst team at preventing pressure when not blitzed, a flaw that could undo all the good it’s capable of doing. That said, with playmakers at every level, counting this offense out isn’t a wise move as long as Jalen Hurts recovers from his concussion before the Wild Card round.