Shipley said he wasn’t really surprised by any of the record-setting. He joined the Eagles for offseason workouts and watched the way Barkley worked through training camp. The player he had watched on TV worked really hard to be one of the league’s best. That part was obvious.

Buffalo’s Josh Allen, the favorite to win the MVP, has had a fantastic season, but in recent years the Offensive Player of the Year has been going to the best non-quarterback unless a quarterback has had an extraordinary year. Allen has been great, but not that great.

With painful memories of last season's collapse still fresh, Johnson supports prioritizing team health over Barkley's pursuit of Eric Dickerson's rushing record.