Saquon Barkley puts Eagles above himself in chase for NFL rushing record

Once it was reported that Saquon Barkley was signing with the Philadelphia Eagles, it was easy to assume he'd play his best football, if he could stay healthy. He was joining a team with far more talent than any iteration of the New York Giants had to offer and was going to run behind one of the best offensive lines in the sport. Somehow, Barkley has shattered his already lofty expectations in his first season in Philadelphia.

The 27-year-old entered Sunday's action with a league-leading 1,838 yards on 314 carries with 13 touchdowns in 15 games played. He had tacked on another 31 receptions for 276 yards and two touchdowns in the air. He held the NFL lead with 2,114 yards from scrimmage.

All he's done on the field, combined with Philadelphia's 12-3 record entering Sunday's action, had Barkley squarely in the MVP discussion. He probably wasn't the favorite, but he did, at the very least, have a real case. He only added to that with yet another dominant performance.

Barkley ran for 167 yards on his 31 carries in Philadelphia's dominant NFC East-clinching 41-7 win over the Dallas Cowboys. Not only was this his 11th 100-yard rushing game of the season (in just 16 games), but he brought his season total to 2,005 rushing yards. Barkley became just the ninth player in NFL history to eclipse the 2,000-yard mark in a single season.

Perhaps most importantly, Barkley is just 100 yards shy of tying Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record with one more regular season game to be played. He's 101 yards shy of breaking it. That's a number he has surpassed 11 times this season alone, and with a matchup against the lowly 3-13 Giants looming, the record is absolutely within reach, if not probable, if he plays in the game.

As impressive and as fun as Barkley breaking this record would be, the superstar running back appears to be more interested in his team's success than his own based on his postgame remarks.

Saquon Barkley has right attitude ahead of potential rushing record chase

This is music to the ears of any Eagles fan. Would seeing Barkley break the single-season rushing record be fun? Of course. It'd be even sweeter to see him pull it off against Barkley's former team and their division rivals. However, he and the Eagles, have bigger things to focus on.

With their win, the Eagles officially clinched the NFC East. The No. 1 seed is still in play as of this writing, but they'd need an absurd amount of help. They cannot fall lower than the No. 2 seed. Knowing how unlikely it is for their playoff positioning to be impacted in Week 18, there is little to no need to play Barkley at all, especially considering his injury history.

Philadelphia's main concern right now should be getting as healthy as possible ahead of what they hope will be a long and fruitful playoff run. Barkley is one of, if not the most, important players on their roster. The last thing any Eagles fan should want is to see him (or even an offensive lineman) suffer an injury while chasing a record that arguably isn't as impressive for him to break, considering the extra game he'll have to his benefit over Dickerson.

Again, it would be fun to watch Barkley attempt to break this record, which has stood for 40 years. It would be more fun for Eagles fans, though, to have a parade on Broad Street. This team is capable of achieving that, and they'll need a fresh and healthy Barkley and offensive line to help lead them there. Resting him in Week 18 would ensure he'd be fresh and healthy for the playoffs, giving the Eagles the best chance to win the ultimate prize. Good on Barkley for putting the team first in a situation not every other player would have.