Nick Sirianni Mum on Whether Saquon Barkley Will Play for Record vs. Giants

Saquon needs 101 yards to best Eric Dickerson’s rushing record.

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley stands on the field. / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley is on the verge of history.

In his first year in Philly, Barkley has already cleared the 2,000-yard mark, becoming the ninth player in NFL history to reach the milestone. With one more big game, he could stand alone atop the record book, as he’s just 101 yards shy of breaking Eric Dickerson’s record that has stood since 1984.

Whether or not Barkley will get a chance to break that record has yet to be determined.

On Monday, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni spoke with media, and wouldn’t commit either way to Barkley playing in the team’s season finale against the New York Giants on Sunday.

"Still not there," Sirianni said. "I gave the players off today. They'll be back in a couple days, or by the next time I talk to [the media], they'll be back in. I'll always inform them before I inform anybody else.”

As things stand, the Eagles are locked in to the No. 2 seed in the NFC heading into the postseason, meaning their matchup against the Giants next week doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme of their hopes of winning a Super Bowl.

That said, Barkley is chasing history, and breaking the single-season rushing record against the team that let him walk away a year ago would no doubt be a sweet bit of vindication for the likely Offensive Player of the Year. Barkley already ran for 176 yards when he faced off against his former team earlier in the season, so getting to 101 next week certainly feels possible.

Barkley made clear after Sunday’s win that while going for the record would be cool, his eyes, and the eyes of the team, were on a much bigger prize.

“I’m not overtly trying to get it,” Barkley told reporters. “I’m not scared of it. I would love to, but we’ve got bigger things we’re focused on. Whether we play next week or rest, I’m fine with that. I didn’t sign here just to rush for 2,000 or break a record. I want to do something special with the team.”

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