The Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants face off in a meaningless Week 18 game. Philly is locked into the No. 2 seed of the NFL Playoffs and New York is out of the playoffs. Former Giants running back Saquon Barkley will rest, falling 101 yards short of Eric Dickerson's single-season record.
During Hard Knocks, John Mara said he would have trouble sleeping if Barkley ended up on the Eagles. The running back took a jab at his former boss in a new commercial.
The commercial for an over-the-counter sleeping pill sees Barkley sleeping peacefully. Mara, on the other hand, likely is not after a miserable Giants season. They are 3-13 and just won a game over the Colts that knocked them out of the top draft pick.
The Giants took Tyrone Tracy Jr in the fifth round last year, who has been a solid addition to their offense but is not Saquon Barkley. They took the money they saved by letting Barkley go and spent it on Brian Burns, who has also had a solid season. But overall, the Eagles are in great shape with the former No. 2-overall pick on the team.
While their division rivals struggle to win games, the Eagles are preparing for another playoff appearance. Barkley will be important in making their third Super Bowl in eight seasons.
The Eagles are much better off with Saquon Barkley
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There has been no shortage of controversy around Nick Sirianni's tenure in Philadelphia. Despite leading the Eagles to the Super Bowl in his second season, last year put him firmly on the hot seat. They started 10-1 and went 1-6 down the stretch. The only win in that brutal stretch was against Barkley and the Giants.
Their running game disappeared. Their defense fell apart, and the passing game took on too much water last year. The Eagles could not get off the mat against the Buccaneers in the playoffs. Part of the problem was D'Andre Swift struggling in the backfield in his one-year stop in Philly. Replacing him with Barkley has put them in the top tier of NFC teams.
For our discussion on why Saquon Barkley should be considered in the NFL MVP race, listen below:
Barkley will not play in Week 18 at home against the Giants. He had one of his best games of the season against his former team in the Meadowlands in Week 7 with 176 yards.
While he could get 101 yards against a battered Giants defense, it is not worth risking injury and tanking their Super Bowl chances for personal glory. There are very few valuable running backs anymore, and Barkley is chief among them.
