Will Saquon Barkley break Eric Dickerson's NFL rushing record in Week 18?

PHILADELPHIA – In reality, Eagles running back Saquon Barkley is within touching distance of Eric Dickerson’s NFL record of 2,105 rushing yards heading into next weekend’s season finale against the Giants.

Barkley needs 101 yards after rushing for 167 yards on 31 carries in the Eagles’ 41-7 win over the Cowboys on Sunday.

Barkley said he would like to break a record that has stood for 40 years, but only by winning the Super Bowl.

“The way I look at it is, if it’s in God’s plan, then that’s it,” Barkley said. “I don’t try too hard to get it.” I’m not afraid of it. I’d love to do that, but ultimately we have bigger things to focus on…

“Rest, I’m okay with that too because I didn’t come here and sign here just to reach 2,000 or break a record. I want to do something special, that is, special, with the team.”

The Eagles may have already made that decision for Barkley.

That’s because Eagles coach Nick Sirianni called a timeout when Barkley surpassed 2,000 yards on a 23-yard run with 11:34 left in the fourth quarter. The fans stood and gave Barkley a standing ovation. They shouted “MVP!” MVP!” as Bruce Sprinsteen’s “Born To Run” blared from the speakers.

Then Barkley sat out the rest of the game.

Still, Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata was among the players who said he wanted the starters to play against the Giants, who are 3-13 and have one of the worst run defenses in the NFL.

KENNY PICKETT INJURYThe Eagles’ backup QB replaces Jalen Hurts and injures his ribs against the Cowboys

THE MORMON ROCKET:Eagles AJ Brown throws Tanner McKee’s first TD pass into the crowd. How “Mormon Missile” got it back

And Mailata said he doesn’t care that the finale against the Giants is meaningless since the Eagles are now stuck in the No. 2 seed in the NFL playoffs. That means the Eagles would have to play the first weekend of the playoffs.

Therefore, it’s likely they would use the regular season finale as a pseudo-bye week for the starters. But Mailata said he still wants the starters to play so Barkley can take the record.

“Absolutely,” Mailata said. “It’s an opportunity to make history. We tried today… We never really talked about the Giants next week, but we just felt like if we didn’t try today we might sit out (next week). We don’t know yet.

Wide receiver AJ Brown added: “Of course. Why not? I want to be a part of it. When I look back on the year, I want to say that was my teammate. That would mean a lot for historical purposes. I like to say that. “For my kids, I was a part of (the team) when Saquon did that.”

For the record, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said, “We’ll see,” and it depends on other factors. But that was before the Eagles were prevented from securing the No. 1 seed by Minnesota’s win over Green Bay later Sunday.

Of course, health also plays a role.

That’s why right tackle Lane Johnson said he’s pretty sure Barkley’s record chase is over. He also added that Dickerson’s record was set during a 16-game schedule, as opposed to the current 17-game schedule.

On the other hand, Dickerson had 379 carries in 1984. Barkley is at 345, which beats his previous career high by 50.

“I mean, Eric Dickerson’s record is 16 games,” Johnson said. “So if it was 17 games it wouldn’t make any sense anyway. Eric Dickerson is who he is. Saquon is who he is. We just wanted to get to 2,000, and we were okay with that. It’s better to be safe than sorry.”

Nevertheless, it initially looked as if the record discussion would be contentious anyway. That’s because the Cowboys focused on Barkley in the first half, with Kenny Pickett at quarterback replacing Jalen Hurts, who was sidelined with a concussion.

Hurts because a running threat prevents the defense from stopping Barkley. That’s not the case with Pickett, who was already playing with sore ribs that limited his mobility.

Barkley managed just 25 yards on 12 carries with 36 seconds left in the first half. That’s when the Eagles got the ball back when CJ Gardner-Johnson intercepted the ball for the second time in the first half. Barkley gained 15 yards on the first play as the Eagles eventually scored a touchdown at the end of the half.

Then the Eagles went after Barkley extensively in the second half. He suggested that some pregame trash talk from Cowboys star edge rusher Micah Parsons might have been helpful.

“Let’s just say before the game one of my good friends – I won’t name any names – said, ‘You’ve got to break this record next week,'” Barkley said with a laugh.

“Everyone is aware of what we are capable of and what we are close to doing. So you could definitely say that (the Cowboys’) mindset didn’t allow for that. But with that being said, I think everyone else feels the same way.” stepped up and made the plays we needed.

“And once we were able to throw the ball a little bit, we got the running game going. We didn’t escape either. They gave me the chance to get the 2,000 and I appreciate that too.”

In fact, Johnson said at the scrimmage when the Eagles got the ball back with 14:25 left in the fourth quarter that they knew Barkley needed 47 yards to reach 2,000.

He got the ball five times in a row, gaining 6, 11, 3 and 9 yards. After a 1st-and-10 from the Cowboys’ 46, third QB Tanner McKee handed the ball off to Barkley, who ran through a hole behind Mailata to the left before being pushed out of bounds at the Cowboys’ 23 for a 23-yard gain.

Breaking News

Dellupodisabato

Leave a Reply Cancel reply