Will Saquon Barkley play in the regular season finale?

Philadelphia Eagles running back and MVP candidate Saquon Barkley made history during the team’s blowout win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

Barkley, 27, became only the ninth player in NFL history to have 2,000 rushing yards in a single season. Barkley has rushed for over 100 yards in 11 of 16 games this season and is the first player to surpass the 2,000-yard mark since Derrick Henry in 2020.

Barkley has the chance to make even more history in next week’s regular season finale against his former team, the New York Giants. He’s only 101 yards away from breaking Eric Dickerson’s single-season NFL record for rushing.

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The question remains, however, whether or not Barkley will play. With the win against the Cowboys, the Eagles clinched the NFC East as well as the number two seed in the NFL playoffs.

With the game relatively meaningless, the Eagles could rest their starters – including Barkley – as they gear up for their push for the Super Bowl. During an exclusive interview for Eagles Gameday Final – airing late Sunday night on NBC10 -- Mike Quick asked head coach Nick Sirianni about his approach for next week.

“Not there yet,” Sirianni said. “I’ll get there. When everyone’s celebrating tonight, I’ll think about it at some point tonight. We’ll make the best decision for the team but I always am very conscious of the guys and the records because think about this sport and this NFL that’s so awesome and all the great records and players there are to be able to have a chance to get that, there’s something special to that. So, I’m always going to think about that for our guys but like I said, we want to do more things.”

Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley has the chance to break Eric Dickerson's single season rushing record. However, with the team already clinching the NFC East and a playoff spot, many are debating whether or not he should play. NBC10's Frances Wang gets the answers from fans.

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On Monday, Eagles fans from across the country weighed in on the debate.

Brian Groark, an Eagles fan from Washington, D.C., believes that Barkley should play.

“Oh, he’s gotta play,” Groark said. “We gotta get the record.”

Groark’s son, Jackson, agrees.

“Yeah, I think he should definitely play,” Jackson said.

Eli Schlichter, an Eagles fan from northern Virginia, wants Barkley to play as well.

“I really want him to get it on this coming Sunday,” he said.

Schlichter’s father, Levon, disagrees.

“Yeah, I don’t think he should do it,” he said. “I know, we’ve been listening to the radio, it seems like everybody wants him to but I just think that risk of injury doesn’t make It worth it.”

Dana Susson, an Eagles fan from California, was concerned about Barkley’s health as well.

“I’m a mom. So I’m like, ‘Save him, don’t hurt him,’” Susson said while laughing, drawing a scoff from her husband Mark.

Kimberly Miller, an Eagles fan from Dallas, suggested a compromise.

“Let him get the record and then let him rest,” she said. “It’s not that many more yards he needs to get.”

Her husband, Carl Miller, has another goal on his mind.

“I want him to have the record but I want a Super Bowl,” he said.

NBC10 posted a poll on X. As of 5 p.m., 60.4% of fans polled want Barkley to play and go for the rushing record while 39.6% of fans polled want him to rest up for the playoffs.