Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley got none chance to break Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record in the final week of the regular season against the New York Giants.
It would have been a storybook ending regular season set for Barkley NFL single-season record against his former teambut the Eagles decided to rest him for the playoffs.
Barkley took advantage of the week off. Through two playoff games, Barkley ranks first among all playoff running backs with 324 rushing yards on 51 carries as the Birds are one win away from going to the Super Bowl for the second time in three years.
While Barkley fell just short of breaking Dickerson’s record for regular-season rushing, the former Penn State University star has his sights set on the record for most rushing yards in a season, including the playoffs, which will be held by Terrell Davis Hall of Fame.
Barkley is closing in on Davis’ rushing record
Davis recorded the most rushing yards in an NFL season, including the playoffs, while playing for the Denver Broncos in the 1998 season. He ran for 2,476 yards as the Broncos won their second straight Super Bowl.
That season broke the first record set by Davis the year before.
In the 1997 season, including the playoffs, Davis rushed for 2,331 yards, breaking Dickerson’s 1984 record. Davis and the Broncos won the Super Bowl that season over the Green Bay Packers 31-24, and he won the MVP award. He rushed for 157 yards on 30 carries and three touchdowns, including the go-ahead goal with less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Entering Sunday’s NFC championship game against the Washington Commanders, Barkley has 2,329 rushing yards, which is 2 yards behind Davis’ 1997 season. He is 147 yards behind Davis’ 1998 season.
Barkley has already passed all-time great running backs like Dickerson, Adrian Peterson, Derrick Henry, Barry Sanders and others for the most rushing yards in a season, including the playoffs.
Barkley’s 2024 season stats
Barkley surpassing Davis’ record would be the final accolade the Eagles running back would earn in his historic first season in Philadelphia.
It took Barkley just 13 games to break Philadelphia’s franchise single-season record of 1,607 yards. He passed that goal in one in early December victory over the Carolina Panthers and finished the regular season with 2,005 rushing yards in 16 games. Weeks later he became the ninth player in NFL history to surpass 2,000 yards receiving in a regular season in the fourth quarter against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 17.
In week 12 of the regular season against the Rams, Barkley went down Philadelphia’s single-game rushing record with 255 yards and two 70 yard plus touchdowns. Barkley’s 255 yards were the ninth-best single-game rushing performance in NFL history. LeSean McCoy previously set the Eagles’ single-game rushing record during the Snow Bowl vs. the Detroit Lions at Lincoln Financial Field in 2013.
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Speaking of the snow, Barkley did his best McCoy impression in one riveting victory over the Rams in the divisional round.
Barkley’s 205 rushing yards in the 28–22 win over Los Angeles were the most rushing yards in a playoff game in Eagles franchise history. He also had touchdown scores of 62 and 78 yards. The playoff rushing record was previously held by Eagles legend Steve Van Buren, who rushed for 196 yards in the 1949 NFL Championship against the Rams.