Yesterday Nick Sirianni announced Saquon Barkley and several other starters would be sitting in Week 18. Was it the right call?

Sirianni made the smart decision for his team even though I believe it to be wrong. And yet I agree with him. Say what now? Allow me to explain…

First, Sirianni’s job is to win Super Bowls. His loyalty is to the franchise and all 53 players as a unit. Resting Barkley and the starters is best for the team, the players’ bodies and their chances of a deep playoff run. As Sirianni mentioned, the Eagles bye week was in Week 5, nearly three full months ago. That’s a lot of consistent banging for a team that’s played playoff caliber opponents for the better part of two months. The receivers have battled nagging injuries all season. The offensive line is anchored by a couple of veterans on the right side. Even Barkley has set a career high in touches. Rest is clearly best for the Eagles.

On the other hand, players as individuals matter, too. Barkley clearly was hoping to play. He’s not chasing contract incentives or some frivolous personal accolade. NFL history is on his doorstep. That’s a record that hasn’t been broken in almost 40 years and may not be broken again given how the sport has evolved. I think I would have left the decision up to Barkley. Maybe Sirianni is taking the heat for Barkley here. It wouldn’t surprise me, but we’ll never reallly know. However, Barkley choosing to play would impact the entire offense, and that’s where I agree with Sirianni’s decision.

Running back isn’t like a receiver or quarterback chasing a record. You can easily get a receiver a few catches with little effort or exposure. A quarterback can do the same for a few completions or reasonable yardage. A running back, though? He kind of needs the entire offense out there. 100 yards is not happening without the best offensive line in football. If there’s zero passing threat, the opposing defense will stack the box to stop the run. It’s unreasonable to think Barkley can be the only starter out there and break the record. It just wouldn’t happen. Furthermore, Barkley and the Eagles have been a dominant 2nd half run team, so there’s almost no chance of Barkley passing Eric Dickerson and getting out of the game without a significant amount of touches. On top of that, without Jalen Hurts at quarterback, it’s been more difficult for Barkley to pop the 40+ yard rushes that got him to this point. Sunday would’ve been another ground and pound effort. That’s not what you want the week before a playoff game. Add in that the Eagles could lose a day of rest and the Giants would do whatever possible to ensure they weren’t the victims when the record fell and it’s pretty much a no-brainer.

I still don’t like it, though. I wanted this record for Barkley. It’s pretty clear his teammates love him and wanted it for him as well. Maybe if he were within 40-60 yards it would make more sense to swing for it. This is like your parents telling you a bowl of ice cream, soda and chips before bed every night isn’t a good thing. They’re making an intelligent decision, and even if you think it’s wrong you agree with the reasoning even if you still want the snacks.