Eagles spare Giants of ultimate Saquon Barkley embarrassment with latest Week 18 update

When it was announced that Saquon Barkley had signed a deal with the Philadelphia Eagles, every New York Giants fan knew that was bound to end up in disaster for the team that drafted him.

The biggest reason for that, of course, was due to the situation. Barkley was going from a Giants team with a pathetic offensive line, brutal quarterback play, and little skill position talent to an Eagles team that excels in all three of those areas.

All signs pointed to Barkley having a career year in Philadelphia if he stayed healthy, but even the most pessimistic Giants fan couldn't have expected this. Barkley has shattered the highest of expectations in Philadelphia.

The 27-year-old surpassed the 2,000-yard mark in Philadelphia's Week 16 win over the Dallas Cowboys, putting him within striking distance of Eric Dickerson's single-season NFL rushing record. Barkley has tacked on 13 rushing touchdowns and is a huge reason why the Eagles are 13-3 and have already clinched the NFC East.

Barkley had a chance to break Dickerson's record in Philadelphia's Week 18 matchup, and the opponent for that game, of course, is the Giants. Can you imagine the embarrassment of the Giants entering Sunday's game with a 3-13 record and then watching Barkley break the single-season rushing record for the NFC East-winning Eagles?

This season has been an unmitigated disaster for New York, but the Eagles saved their division rivals some embarrassment by benching Barkley for their Week 18 matchup. Barkley needed just 101 yards to break the record

This isn't too much of a surprise after his postgame comments, but Barkley needed just 101 yards to break the record. Considering he averaged a league-leading 125.3 rushing yards per game and rushed for 176 yards in Philadelphia's first meeting against New York, those 101 yards felt like a lock. Barkley resting ensures he'll fall short of that mark, but be healthy for the games that really count. For that reason, this is a no-brainer for the Eagles.

Giants receive rare win with Eagles Saquon Barkley decision, but at a cost

Obviously, the last thing any Giants fan wanted to see was Barkley breaking the record, but he isn't the only starter being benched. The Eagles are benching several starters in Week 18.

Yes, the Giants are 3-13, but they've been playing their games against the opposition's best players. How sure are we that they'll lose on Sunday against Philadelphia's backups, especially one week after their best performance of the season?

A win for the Giants would knock them further down in the upcoming NFL Draft order, making it even less likely that they land their quarterback of the future. As annoying as it would've been for Barkley to torment the Giants one more time by breaking the record against them, is that worse than falling further in the draft order?

The reason why the Eagles are resting Barkley is because the game is meaningless to them. They've already clinched the NFC East and the NFC's No. 2 seed. The Giants, on the other hand, are among the worst teams in the sport and have given their fans nothing to root for except a better draft pick.

Yes, it's good that Barkley won't be breaking the record against the team that let him go, saving them from even more embarrassment for that decision, but if it comes at the cost of lowering their draft odds, is that worthwhile? Arguments for both sides are valid.