Nick Sirianni has taken the Eagles to playoffs every season since taking over the reins in 2021. But the Super Bowl has eluded them. On the other hand, his predecessor, Doug Pederson, failed in his first year but won it in his second (2017). Over the next two seasons, he led them to the playoffs, but after failing in 2020, they removed him. It remains the only Super Bowl Trophy. So, the current HC has an enormous responsibility.
They have done well in the 2024 season. With a 13-3 win-loss record after week 17, the Eagles look set to play in the Super Bowl. While talking about their plans after defeating Cowboys 41-7 in the week 17 matchup, Sirianni said, “We’ll watch some games tonight, see how things are going. We’ll do what we need to do, what’s right for the football team. Always got to do what’s right for the football team to reach our goals of what we need to do.” He’s obviously looking into the playoff scenarios here.
Nick Sirianni: “We’ll see. A lot of things need to play out. We’ll see where we are in a couple of days. …There’s a lot that goes into it. We’ll watch some games tonight, see how things are going. We’ll do what we need to do, what’s right for the football team. Always got to do… https://t.co/CDxu1FQJjc
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) December 29, 2024
They are heavy favorites in the week 18 game against the Giants who have a 3-13 win-loss record. But they would face the winner of the week 18 game in the playoffs. And that is between the Packers and Commanders. After week 17, both teams have an 11-5 record. Also, Jordan Love and Jayden Daniels are fierce competitors.
Amid all these, Saquon Barkley is inching close to a significant personal milestone, the most rushing yards in a single season. With 31 carries in 167 yards against the Cowboys, he has completed 345 carries in 2005 rushing yards in 2024 season. When asked if he would help the RB achieve the feat, the coach added, “Like I said, I’ve got a lot to think about. I’m going to enjoy this, and I’ll think about it tonight at some point.”
For the running back, the season has gone crazy. He has played 9 games with 100+ rushing yards this year. He was also thinking about the record but played it down.
Saquon Barkley puts playing decision on Nick Sirianni
The head coach has given his obvious message to the locker room. A Super Bowl! Even the Eagles RB wants to win it. But he needs only 100 rushing yards to break Eric Dickerson’s NFL record of single-season rushing yards (2,105). It would be historic.
Talking about whether he would play in the last game or not, Barkley said, “The way I look at it, if it’s in God’s plan, then it is. I’m not overly trying to go get it. I’m not scared of it. I would love to. Rest, I’m fine with that too, because I didn’t come here and sign here just to rush for 2,000 or break a record. I want to do something special, meaning special with the team.” While he is ready to give, the fans would love to see him break it. But it shows how closely the team is bonded.
In the end, he also put the decision on Nick Sirianni if he wanted to play him or not and added, “I mean, it’s up to Nick, to be honest. And you know, whatever his decision is, I’m all for it.” That’s the right approach. Their plans have been working well till now.
In his first season with the Eagles, the running back has done wonders. In their week 12 game against the Rams, he even had 26 carries in 255 rushing yards with 2 touchdowns. Scoring-wise, it’s the best season of his career till now with 13 touchdowns. For the coach, it wouldn’t be a simple decision to rest or play him.
If they play him on January 5, then there would be a rest of a minimum of 5 days. If they didn’t, he would get around 11 days to recover from the long season. It’s tricky. But the fans would be ecstatic if he broke the rushing record.
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