Saquon Barkley’s phone buzzed in his locker stall with no one around to hear. Just before the halftime whistle of the Eagles’ penultimate regular-season game, the running back received a text message from his longtime trainer Moe Gibson that he wouldn’t see until hours later.

Now is not the time, Saquon Barkley says. Reflection comes at the end of this season, no matter the meaningfulness of its milestones. He’s resisting the sound of them toppling like towers. He won’t peek at the panorama of his production.

In the Eagles’ NFC wild-card game at home against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Barkley could rush for a ton of yards and score touchdowns, but the way he motivates teammates in the most challenging part of the game could be just as important.