PHILADELPHIA — On Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles took the field without star running back Saquon Barkley, which dashed his hopes of breaking the NFL’s single-season rushing record set by Eric Dickerson. The Eagles opted to rest several key players, including quarterback Jalen Hurts and wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, as they prepared for the NFC wild-card matchup scheduled for next weekend against the New York Giants.

Resting these prominent players was a strategic decision by the Eagles, the current NFC East champions, who did not want to risk any injuries ahead of their playoff campaign. Barkley concluded the season with an impressive total of 2,005 rushing yards, falling just 101 yards short of Dickerson’s record of 2,105 yards, which was established with the Los Angeles Rams back in 1984.

The Eagles managed to turn around their season after a slow start, winning ten consecutive games after a 2-2 record and establishing dominance in their division. In addition to the influence of their early-season bye in Week 5, Coach Nick Sirianni also recognized the toll that Barkley’s heavy workload—leading the NFL with 345 carries—had taken, prompting the decision to rest him and other starters before the playoffs.

Barkley addressed the situation, expressing that his focus is on winning a Super Bowl rather than individual accolades. “I didn’t sign here to break Eric Dickerson’s record,” he stated. “I came here to win a Super Bowl.” Meanwhile, Hurts missed the last two regular-season games due to ongoing symptoms from a concussion and remained in NFL concussion protocol, missing practice throughout the week.

In the absence of the starters, the Eagles fielded third-string quarterback Tanner McKee against the Giants. Second-string quarterback Kenny Pickett was unable to play due to rib injuries sustained in the previous week’s game versus Dallas, where McKee had shown promise by throwing two touchdown passes on just four attempts in a late-game situation.