Eagles Make The Right Choice Resting Barkley And Starters

Nick Sirianni has an impossible choice to make. The game on Sunday means nothing to the Eagles. They are locked into the 2 seed. Usually that would make resting everyone an obvious choice. But Saquon Barkley flirting with NFL history complicated matters. He needs just 101 yards to break Eric Dickerson's 40-year-old rushing record. He will not get that chance though. On Wednesday Sirianni announced that he will be resting Saquon Barkley and most of the starters, ending any chance Saquon had to make history. https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1874510370595074185 The Tough, But Correct Choice Him falling short is obviously disappointing. But it is also without a doubt the right choice. The health of Barkely, and the other starters, is just too important to take the risk. Last year AJ Brown was knocked out in the final game which meant nothing for the team. He missed the playoff game, and the Eagles were blown out. This team could be special. They could win it all. Nothing is guaranteed, but they have the talent to win the Super Bowl. Imagine if they sent the starters out there, Lane Johnson gets hurt, and their chances go up in flames. It is just not worth it. Were it closer, and they could quickly get it in 1 quarter, there might be a case to go for it. But 101 yards might take 4 quarters. Especially with the Giants likely focusing on stopping the run. All the Giants would care about is stopping Barkley. Yes, they are a bad team. But if they put 8 in the box, no amount of good blocking will open up holes for Barkley to run through. 1,245 of Saquons 2005 yards came in the second half. For all we know it would take most of the game for him to get there. If he gets there at all. It is not as simple as just taking him out once get gets it as some people like to pretend. It could take all game, and now the O-Line, Saquon, etc, all have another game full of wear and tear on their body they did not need to take. Saquon is already well above his career high in carries, and to get where they need to go will likely need to add another 100 or so carries. Why add on more if you don't need to? Eagles Get Well-Deserved Rest The risk of injury is not the only factor. The Eagles have not had a week off since early October. They had the earliest bye week you could possibly have. Recent history shows teams with the early Bye, struggle to win it all. But here they found a loophole. They can manufacture a bye week just before the playoffs, and go into the playoffs fresher than most of the teams they will have to play. That is valuable. Sirianni has never lost a game off a bye week, including in the playoffs. He has also won week 1 in every season. It is a small sample size, but also not insignificant. This extra rest for the Eagles starters could be crucial in the Wild Card Matchup. Both teams they could play, the Packers or Commanders, need to play this weekend. The Eagles do not. You are getting them with a huge rest advantage. That is too good to pass up. Let the Eagles stars get off their feet and go into the playoffs fresh. Especially the offensive linemen. Lane Johnson is 34. You dont think he will benefit from a week off? All of them are likely battling through some injury, and a week off might be just what they need right now. Throwing away the chance to set a new record sucks. Especially for Saquon Barkley. But it is the right choice. Everyone being healthy and rested is more valuable. The chance to win the Super Bowl is more important. Kudos to Nick Sirianni for making the tough, but correct, choice. Listen To Or Watch ‘The Best Show Ever?’ Live On The 97.5 The Fanatic And On NBC Sports Philly From 2 To 6 p.m. every Weekday