Saquon Barkley Is Working on His Neck, and He Plans to Play Monday

Saquon Barkley has spent years building up his legs to last. The stinger he took last Sunday made him realize he'd skipped his neck.

He called it a wake-up call. He's had stingers before, he said, but not one this bad in a long time, and neck strength and stability are now part of his routine the same way everything else is. An MRI on Monday came back clean, he was limited in practice Thursday and full on Friday, and he expects to play Monday night against the Bears.

I'm going to let the game come, and I'm going to go out there and play fearless.

The hit came on the Eagles' first offensive play against Tennessee, when Jeffery Simmons stopped him for no gain. Barkley went to the medical tent, then inside, and came back in the second half with a neck roll. He played 10 snaps all day and ran four times for 9 yards. Against Chicago he'll wear a modified version of that neck roll that lets him move more freely.

Barkley, 29, has 92 yards on 19 carries this year. He hasn't missed a full game to injury since joining Philadelphia, and he said the team wouldn't let him play if he weren't ready.