PHILADELPHIA — Before O.J. Simpson became an NBC Sports broadcaster, starred in Hertz commercials and a decades-long string of TV shows and movies, or got away with double murder in one of the most famous criminal cases in American history, he was a Hall of Fame running back. If not for his incredible football career, which first captured the public’s imagination at the University of Southern California and then with the Buffalo Bills in the NFL, most people never would have known who the charming, complex, and lowdown Simpson was. As a Black man in the post-Civil Rights era, Simpson broke through white pop culture in a way that few other African American athletes did outside of Muhammad Ali, even if Simpson did it in a manner more “palatable” to many whites. His greatness on the football field — which included a Heisman Trophy, an NFL MVP award and four NFL rushing titles — laid the groundwork for all of it up to the brutal murders, for which he ultimately was found liable in civil court. Simpson’s unique combination of speed, power and elusiveness made him one of the greatest running backs in history, one of only a handful of players to shatter 2,000 rushing yards in a single year. Simpson did it in 1973, when he ran for 2,003 yards in a 14-game season. In fact, he was the first rusher to crack 2,000 yards, and he held the single-season record for 11 years, until the Los Angeles Rams’ Eric Dickerson ran for 2,105 in 1984. Now, 40 years after the begoggled Dickerson set the mark, the Eagles’ Saquon Barkley has a chance to break it. With one game left in the regular season — against the New York Giants, who refused to pay him and instead let him walk out the door to a division rival — Barkley is just 101 yards away from capturing the record. You want to see it. I want to see it. Injuries are always a risk, and the Eagles have already locked up at least a No. 2 seed in the playoffs, but Barkley could seemingly roll out of bed and run for 101 yards while he’s still half asleep. Why not give it a try? Unlike in baseball, with its nuanced mentality and textured history of Americana, most NFL records hold little solemnity. However, Dickerson’s record does. In a gladiator sport in which numbers are often secondary, this record represents the ultimate gladiator. It is also a team achievement, starting with the offensive line, and any franchise that holds it is forever viewed as tough in the toughest of all sports. “He had 17 games to do it? Hey, football is football. That’s the way I look at it,” Dickerson said last week, adding that he didn’t think Barkley would do it. “If he’s fortunate to get over 2,000 yards and get the record, it’s a great record to have.” Well, Barkley got the 2,000 yards on Sunday against the rival Cowboys. Next up is the record. Dickerson, commendably honest, admitted he didn’t want Saquon to break it — “Absolutely not.” But to invoke Barkley’s 17-game season is disingenuous when Dickerson did it in 16 games, since it was two more than O.J. took to set the original mark. If NFL seasons were two or three games longer in 1973, Simpson conceivably could have put the record out of reach. But that wasn’t the way of the world back then. A 16-game season isn’t the way of the world now. And considering modern NFL rules-changes to favor passing, which have devalued running backs, Barkley’s seizing the record in 2024-25 would be extra impressive. “I’m not into like, ‘Oh, if you do it in 17 or 16 games,’” Barkley said. “I’m a fan of the position. If that’s the case, then O.J. got the record. O.J. did it in 14 games. I know we don’t really speak about that, but in reality, he rushed for 2,000 in 14 games. E.D., it took him 15 to do it. “So, if anything, it’s like, why are we even having the conversation? Or if you’re trying to get E.D.’s record, if that’s the conversation, it should be, you’ve got to do it in 14. The way football is right now, it’s kind of hard to rush for 2,000 yards in 14 games. So, whether it’s 16, whether it’s 17, it’s a feat that you can never take away from what I was able to do with the O-line. And only eight other players did it (over 2,000 yards), so it’s a special moment.” Dickerson played in a different era, when having a premier back was almost more coveted than having a top quarterback, when most offenses still operated through the ground (and when even “E.D.” had a different connotation). Those glory days of the running back appeared to be long gone until Barkley recently restored the position to prominence. The big question is, should the Eagles play Barkley and the starters in what could be an otherwise meaningless game against the Giants to chase the record this week? “Still not there,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said at Monday’s presser about the decision. “Obviously, I gave the players off today. They’ll be back in a couple days. By the next time I talk to you, they’ll be back in. So, I’ll always inform them before I inform anyone else. “I know you guys are going to want that answer as soon as you guys can get it,” he said. “I’ll try to help you guys do your job as much as I possibly can, but I’ll always inform our players of things first. But (I’m) still sorting through things right now at this particular moment.” There is no wrong answer in the days leading up to the game. The right answer will only be in the result. Admit it, you want to witness history. You want to see Saquon Barkley and the Eagles do it. And if the Eagles opt to sit him in Week 18 against the New York Giants — the team that didn’t value him and let him walk away — you’ll always wonder what could have been. —— Follow Christiaan DeFranco on X at @the_defranc.