Saquon Barkley Should Go For NFL Rushing Record In Season Finale, Chris Johnson Says

Week 18 might be meaningless to the Eagles, but Chris Johnson tells TMZ Sports he'd still advise Saquon Barkley to suit up ... and go chase history!!

After a 167-yard performance against the Cowboys on Sunday, Barkley is now just 101 yards away from Eric Dickerson's all-time single-season rushing record of 2,105 ... but with nothing on the line for Philadelphia, many have wondered if the tailback will play.

Birds fans would love to see him rest up and be ready for the playoffs ... but Johnson -- a former Titans superstar who once rushed for 2,006 yards in 2009 -- said this week he'd advise Barkley to put on his helmet.

Johnson told us when he was a player, he would have sat out -- but now that he's had years to reflect on his career, he'd tell himself to do the opposite.

"For him to have the chance to be able to break that record," Johnson said, "I say why not? Go ahead and get it."

With its 41-7 trouncing of Dallas, Philadelphia locked up the NFC East and the two seed ... leaving head coach Nick Sirianni -- and his players -- with a bit of decision heading into their regular season finale against the Giants.

As of Monday, Sirianni had not made a choice one way or the other ... but he did tell reporters he'll know sooner than later.

As for if the mark would have an asterisk -- considering it would have taken Barkley 17 games instead of 16 to get it -- Johnson said absolutely not.