When Saquon Barkley went to the sidelines and into the tent with an apparent injury, the Eagles’ fan base had a collective gasp.

In a physical battle on Sunday with the Steelers, Barkley was hit on his knee and landed on his shoulder.

Remember, this is a team that has won 10 straight games, and 12 overall primarily due to Barkley’s output.

With Barkley’s injury history, this was the moment many anticipated and dreaded.

Fortunately for the Birds’ faithful, Barkley is scheduled to be in the lineup Sunday against the Commanders in Washington. Barkley and other starters were listed as “rest” options on the club’s injury list Wednesday.

Barkley will be back in his quest to break Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record.

In this week’s version of my Inside the Huddle column, I’ll look at Barkley’s career — as well as some other Birdseed, and who’s hot and who’s not.

Looking Good ... When he left the game against the Steelers, Barkley totaled 65 yards. Over the next three games, Barkley will have to average 139.3 yards per game to break Dickerson’s long-standing single-season rushing record of 2,105 set in 1984, which was ironically set 40 years ago.

The Commanders have struggled in run defense all season, and have problems on their defensive line. Barkley could have a big day Sunday in Washington to get him back on track.

From there, Barkley has more fortune on his side.

After Washington, the Birds will then face the Cowboys, who rank 29th in rush defense, giving up 136.1 rushing yards per game, and the Giants, who are ranked 31st, allowing 143.6 yards per contest.

GM Howie Roseman and head coach Nick Sirianni will be faced with the decision to let Bakley play to get the record, as well as to keep him in the lineup to snare the top-seed in the NFC.

With the Lions’ recent loss and injuries, the Eagles appear to be in the driver’s seat to notch an overall 15-2 record.

Detroit has a final regular-season showdown with Minnesota, who could still be in the running for the division and top seed.

Run, Saquon, Run.

Don’t Want to Mention It, But ... Since he was drafted in 2018, here are some of Barkley’s more notable injuries:

Aug. 13, 2018 - Suffered hamstring pull in camp, but ready for Week 1. Played in all 16 games and rushed for 1,307 yards.

Sept. 22, 2019 - Had Grade 2 ankle sprain in Week 2. Played in 13 games and rushed for 1,003 yards.

Sept. 20, 2020 - Suffered MCl strain in Week Two. Season was over.

Oct. 10, 2021 - Incurred low-ankle sprain in Week 5. Played in 13 games and rushed for 593 yards.

Dec. 8, 2022 - Suffered a cervical neck stinger in practice, but played through it in Week 14. Had a career season of 1,312 yards.

Sept. 17, 2023- Left Week Two with an ankle injury. Returned in Week 6

Oct. 22, 2023 - Hyperextended his left elbow in Week 7, but didn’t miss any time. Finished the year with 962 yards.

Nov. 10, 2024 - Suffered a left foreman injury early in the Week 10 game against Dallas, but quickly returned to the lineup.

Keep It Hurts-In’ ... With the Eagles projection as a Super Bowl contender, there has been some growing speculation whether they have a capable backup quarterback if Jalen Hurts goes down. Hurts has a broken left finger.

Kenny Pickett is currently No. 2 on the QB depth chart, but doesn’t have glowing numbers, with as many touchdowns as interceptions (13 apiece) in 24 starts, including 4,479 passing yards in 28 games.

Tanner McKee is number three on the chart, but the 2023 sixth-round pick has yet to see any action, and is already inactive for this week’s game.

Simply put, the Eagles couldn’t afford to throw McKee into a game at this point.

One option being thrown around is longtime signal caller Teddy Bridgewater. The 32-year-old played in one game with Detroit last year, and five with Miami in 2022. He had been coaching his high school alma mater, and has expressed his desire to return to the game.

Ex-Tennessee Titan and Miami Dolphin, 36-year-old Ryan Tannehill, is still out there as well.

Topping Off ... Here are my top five teams:

1. Chiefs (13-1) - Somehow, they keep winning. Their offensive line is terrible - especially their left tackles - and Patrick Mahomes almost was lost with an injury.

2. Eagles (12-2) - See first sentence above. They got a scare with Saquon ankle, but their offensive line sets the table, and their defense has been outstanding.

3. Lions (12-2) - They have a number of injuries, and it will be interesting to see what happens down the stretch. Dan Campbell will figure it out.

4. Bills (11-3) - Once in the shadow of the above three teams, the Bills are on the rise. Josh Allen will keep them going, but can their defense make the stops?

5. Vikings (12-2) - They are finally getting recognized. The Vikings have scored the most points (459) and allowed the second lowest (252).

Flyin’ Low ... We have all seen the two planes that carried banners with messages encouraging Giants’ owner John Mara to fire GM Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll that flew over MetLife Stadium during their games.

Many believe the Giants — who have lost 10 straight — are headed for a 2-15 season and the top overall draft pick. This would be their worst season in a long time. They average 14.9 points per game and allow 23.4.

Well, 50 years ago in 1974, the Giants finished with a 2-12 record under Bill Arnsparger. They averaged 13.9 points and allowed 21.4

This was a team led by Craig Morton, Norm Snead, and the immortal Jim Del Gaizo. Doug Kotar was the lead back, and ex-Bloomsburg standout tight end Bob Tucker led the receivers. Jack Gregory, Brad Van Pelt and Brian Kelley paced the defense.

Ex-Eagles head coach Ray Rhodes was a wide receiver.

Bottoming Out ... Here are my five worst teams:

1. Giants (2-12) - Will we see another message from a plane before the season is over? In 1974, the Giants were 2-12. Now they’re headed for a 2-15 season and the No. 1 pick.

2. Raiders (2-12) - I tried to watch them last week against the Falcons and couldn’t. It was quarterback Desmond Ridder and a 10-game losing streak.

3. Titans (3-11) - Quarterback Will Levis was finally benched. Will it be Sam Darnold or Cam Ward at quarterback next year?

4. Jaguars (3-11) - They typify a team that’s not destined to win this season. They are so close, yet so far in their games. Where are you, Trevor Lawrence?

5. Patriots (3-11) - There is a future with rookie quarterback Drake Maye. But the Pats’ once-solid defense has broken into pieces. First-year head coach Jerad Mayo could be in trouble.

Layin’ It On the Line ... Looking at the lines for the Eagles, Giants, and Jets, here are my thoughts:

I like the Eagles (-3.5) to keep it rolling over the Commanders, and the revived Jets (+3) against the Rams. I’ll stay off the Giants (+9.5) -Falcons because the points are too high with two unstable teams.

A Coincidence ... In 2004, the Eagles were 12-1 and running away with the division.

However, they suffered an untimely blow with a star player.

Dallas cornerback Roy Williams “horsecollarded” Eagles’ wide receiver Terrell Owens, and it forced Owens to miss the rest of the regular season and the playoffs.

As a result, the league outlawed the tackle the following season.

Matriculating Down The Field ... Each week, I’ll reflect on a former game of the Eagles’ opponent this week, or another game from the past.

On Dec. 21, 1975, the Eagles traveled to RFK Stadium to play the- then Redskins in one of the most unusual games in the series that was won by the Birds, 26-3. With the win, the Eagles improved to 4-10, while the Redskins slipped to 8-6

The Eagles recorded seven — yes seven — interceptions from the ‘Skins quarterback combo of Joe Theismann (three picks) and Randy Johnson (four). The team record is nine in a 1965 game against Pittsburgh.

Frank LeMaster and Artimus Parker each picked off a pair, and LeMaster returned one 89 yards for a score. Joe Lavender had a pick six for 36 yards, and Bill Bergey and John Outlaw each had one.

It wasn’t much of an Eagles’ offensive show, as Mike Boryla completed nine of 18 passes for 103 yards with a touchdown to Harold Carmichael and an interception.

Horst Muhlmann booted a pair of field goals to round out the scoring. James McAlister was Philly’s leading ground gainer with 41 yards on 15 carries. Carmichael caught four balls for 33 yards.

More importantly, spend time with your family in this Christmas and holiday season, and remember the true meaning of Christmas doesn’t involve football.

Your thoughts are always welcomed; email them to tnsports@tnonline.com.