NFL fans react as Saquon Barkley slides late instead of scoring TD vs. Packers - "It doesn’t get more scripted than this"

Saquon Barkley had a quiet game by his standards for the Eagles against the Packers. He rushed for more than 100 yards, as he does pretty much every time he steps on the field, but did not record a touchdown in the Wild Card round.

He had the chance to get into the endzone in the final two-minute warning but chose to pick up the first down and slide, with the field gaping in front of him.

His decision to slide made sure that Green Bay never got the ball back and Philadelphia could run out the clock to pick up a 22-10 win.

However, fans did not see it that way and decided that the running back's actions constituted a play that showed that the NFL is scripted. They said that it was done per the betting markets, with a lot of people betting on the Eagles star to score. They took to X/Twitter to express their frustrations and here are some of the comments:

However, the reactions were not unanimous, with some continuing to say that it had to be fixed, with others saying that it was a smart play by the running back. Here are some more posts highlighting the latter point from the social media platform:

"Gambling culture has rotted brain cells" - chided one.

"It's called smart football. You bettors make me giggle." - concurred one with the first response.

"All the gambling sites have a phone number to call for an addiction man. He slid to run the clock out and prevent a freak comeback from happening. He did the smart (and right) thing" - supported a third.

Eagles RB Saquon Barkley explains his decision vs. Packers

Saquon Barkley cleared up any confusion about why he slid down at the end of the game instead of taking it into the endzone for a touchdown. He highlighted two points. One was situational awareness, knowing that if he took a knee it would keep the clock running and retain Philadelphia the possession.

The other reason was that he knew that his team was pretty much confirmed to go through the divisional round and wanted to avoid any injuries for himself or someone else.

It showed a selfless streak from Saquon Barkley, who could have chased his own records once he broke through the Packers' defense. However, he put the team first and now he gets to play in the Divisional Round as they aim for the Super Bowl.