Jason Kelce discusses Saquon Barkley's absence from the final Eagles game and missing out on the rushing record.

Jason Kelce comprehends why the Philadelphia Eagles chose not to play Saquon Barkley, forfeiting the opportunity to break the NFL's single-season rushing record.

Despite being 101 yards away from breaking Eric Dickerson's record in 1984, Barkley sat out against the New York Giants as the Eagles had already secured the No. 2 seed in the NFC entering Week 18.

During a recent episode of "New Heights," Travis Kelce stated that rushing for 100 yards in the NFL is incredibly challenging, implying that he may not have achieved it if he had played. However, Jason believed that Barkley would have been successful in doing so.

"Yeah, he would have got it. The New York Giants, Trav. He would have blown that thing out the door," Jason said.

"I definitely wanted Barkley to break the record. It would have been amazing to witness it."

What would be the point of putting oneself at risk in a meaningless game during the playoffs, Travis wondered aloud.

"Why wouldn't I want to watch the rushing record being broken?" Jason exclaimed passionately.

"I believe it's the right decision not to play him."

Travis argued that Barkley's record would have needed an asterisk because he would have broken it in 17 games, while Dickerson did it in 16 games. However, Jason contested that if Barkley had achieved it, there would be no asterisk.

If he had the same number of carries as Dickerson through 16 games, he would have set the record too, just like Dickerson did without an asterisk. We don't put an asterisk next to Dickerson, who broke O.J. Simpson's record at 14 games or whatever it was, broke Jim Brown's at 12 or whatever that was. I just think the rushing record is great, but it's obviously the right call.

This season, Barkley has 345 carries, compared to Dickerson's record-setting 379 carries in his previous season.

If Barkley or one of the Eagles' offensive linemen got hurt and missed the playoffs due to chasing a record in a meaningless game, it would hurt a team with Super Bowl aspirations, according to the former Eagles center.

Barkley could have broken the record against his old team if he had been given the chance, as Kelce suggested.

Jason stated that if he had that stat, he would be the best player in the NFL. He had the opportunity to set that record in Philadelphia with the Eagles. He had the chance to do it against a team that did not value him, and they let him walk. As a result, many fans burned his jersey earlier that year.

"This could have been a legendary storyline in NFL history. While I would have loved to witness it, it was the correct decision. I want to emphasize that."

On Sunday at 4:30 p.m. ET, the No. 2-seeded Eagles will host the No. 7-seeded Green Bay Packers at home, with Barkley well-rested, on FOX.

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