Saquon Barkley is on the verge of history.
Barkley exploded on Sunday as his Philadelphia Eagles smashed the Dallas Cowboys 41-7. The star running back racked up 167 yards on 31 carries, which put him over 2,000 rushing yards on the season. He became only the ninth player in NFL history to accomplish that feat and he still has one week to go.
The Eagles are 13–3 and will face the lowly New York Giants in Week 18, who just so happen to be the team that allowed Barkley to walk away over the offseason. It seems like there would be plenty of motivation to turn in a big game.
Eric Dickerson set the NFL's single-season rushing record in 1984 while a member of the Los Angeles Rams. He had 2,105 yards that season. That mark could be broken next week.
Through 16 games, Barkley has 345 rushes for 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns. That means he'll only need 100 rushing yards to tie Dickerson's record and 101 yards to break it next week.
PLAYER
YEAR
RUSH YDS
Eric Dickerson
1984
2,105
Adrian Peterson
2012
2,097
Jamal Lewis
2003
2,066
Barry Sanders
1997
2,053
Derrick Henry
2020
2,027
Terrell Davis
1998
2,008
Chris Johnson
2009
2,006
Saquon Barkley*
2024
2,005*
O.J. Simpson
1973
2,003
For context, Barkley has gone over 100 yards 11 times this season, and the Giants have one of the NFL's worst rushing defenses.
If Barkley plays in Week 18, there's a good chance Dickerson's record will fall. He currently has the eighth-highest single-season rushing total of all-time, slightly ahead of O.J. Simpson's 2,003 yards in 1973, and one behind the 2,006 yards Chris Johnson rushed for in 2009.
