Eagles' Saquon Barkley, on cusp of record, to sit out vs. Giants

PHILADELPHIA -- Eagles running back Saquon Barkley will likely sit out Sunday's regular-season finale against the Giants, coach Nick Sirianni said, putting an end to his chase of the single-season rushing record.

With their postseason seeding secured, Sirianni suggested Barkley will be one of the starters who will rest as the Eagles gear up for the playoffs.

Barkley will end the regular season 101 yards shy of breaking Eric Dickerson's NFL record of 2,105 yards, set in 1984.

Whether he should have the opportunity to go for the rushing title was a hot point of debate in Philadelphia and beyond this week. The Eagles (13-3) have clinched the NFC East division title and are locked into the NFC's No. 2 seed, making the Giants game irrelevant from a playoff positioning perspective.

Opinions were split in the locker room following their Week 17 win over the Dallas Cowboys. Right tackle Lane Johnson was leaning toward resting the starters, under the premise of it's "better to be safe than sorry."

Left tackle Jordan Mailata, meanwhile, said he planned to "push for" the starters to play against New York.

"It's an opportunity to make history," Mailata said. "We never really spoke about the Giants next week, but we just had the feeling that if we don't go for it today, we might sit out. We don't know. Coach hasn't really said anything yet. We'll see."

Barkley said he would be fine with whatever Sirianni decides.

"Whatever his decision is, I'm all for it," Barkley said. "If his mindset is, we'll go out there and try it, I'll go out there and try it. If his mindset is, let's rest and get ready for this run, I'm all for that, too ... I came here to do something special. Breaking a record is special but I want a banner up there. I think we all do."

With his 167-yard performance against Dallas, Barkley became just the ninth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000-plus yards.