Saquon Barkley has already had the best rushing season in Eagles history. The running back from Philadelphia broke LeSean McCoy’s franchise record in Week 15 of the 2024 season and established himself among the Eagles’ great running backs in his first year with the franchise.

Now Barkley has his sights set on NFL history.

The Eagles superstar is on track to threaten former Rams star Eric Dickerson’s single-season record. Barkley only has three games left in the regular season, but it’s entirely possible considering the season he’s currently having.

Of course, Barkley has his eyes on a bigger prize – a Super Bowl. Even knowing where he stands compared to Dickerson’s record, this isn’t the final destination for a player known for his team-first mentality.

“If I don’t make it, I won’t be depressed,” Barkley said of the soaring record. “If I make it, I won’t be incredibly happy. It’s a record. They shall be broken.”

As for Dickerson, the NFL Hall of Famer “definitely” supports Barkley in his quest for MVP. But as far as the record goes, Dickerson would prefer his name still be associated with the record.

“No, I don’t want my record broken,” Dickerson said. “If he breaks it, he breaks it, and I won’t lose sleep over it. But when I broke that record, I didn’t have any kids at the time, but I said if someone broke it, I would, like my son would break it.

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So how close is Barkley to Dickerson’s goal? The Sporting News is tracking the Eagles star’s progress in 2024.

Saquon Barkley stats

Week 16 stats

games	Att.	Rush yards	Rush TD	yards/att.	Rec.	Rec. Yards	Rec. TD
14	285	1,688	11	5.9	31	276	2

Barkley will start in Philadelphia’s Week 16 against Washington and has 1,688 rushing yards this season.

The Eagles star is 312 yards short of reaching 2,000 yards. Should he reach this milestone, he would become just the ninth player in NFL history to reach 2,000 yards in a single season.

Barkley is 417 yards shy of Dickerson’s rushing record. Dickerson, the former Rams star, is the only player in NFL history to finish a season with at least 2,100 rushing yards.

The Eagles are still struggling against the Commanders in Week 16, but Barkley is off to another great start with more than 100 yards rushing in the first quarter alone, highlighted by this 68-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

Saquon Barkley behind the Eagles OL feels like a cheat code.

235 pounds of dominance for 68-yard TD: pic.twitter.com/zElsL5aqEx

— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) December 22, 2024

And his epic first quarter performance broke another record; a record he already owned.

Saquon Barkley’s 109 rushing yards were the most of any player in a first quarter since…

Saquon Barkley had 108 in Week 16 of 2019 https://t.co/8JxJFW57ue pic.twitter.com/mIZUW1VZfc

— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) December 22, 2024

Saquon Barkley picks up the pace

Entering Week 16, Barkley was averaging 120.6 yards per game for the 2024 season. This is the first season in his career that he is averaging over 100 yards per game on the ground.

If Barkley maintains this pace over the final three games of the regular season, he would finish with 2,049 yards. That would allow him to reach the historic 2,000-yard threshold and cement him as the owner of one of the best rushing seasons in NFL history.

However, at this rate he would fall short of Dickerson’s goal. Barkley would be 55 yards away from the NFL rushing record.

Looking at the rest of the Eagles’ schedule, Philadelphia still has three division games in 2024, one each against the Commanders, Cowboys and Giants. This bodes incredibly well for Barkley, as all three of these units are among the worst rushing defenses in the league.

Entering Week 15, Washington ranks 25th in rushing yards allowed per game (132.1), Dallas is 29th (136.1) and New York is 31st (143.7). Barkley tore the Giants and Commanders apart as the Eagles played those opponents for the first time this season, rushing for 176 yards against Washington and 146 against New York. However, in the first meeting against Dallas, he only managed 66 rushing yards.

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Eric Dickerson storms record

Dickerson holds the NFL’s all-time rushing record. He set the milestone in 1984 when he rushed for 2,105 yards with the Rams. He averaged an astounding 131.6 yards per game this season.

The closest player to the record was Adrian Peterson’s performance in the 2012 season with the Vikings. He missed Dickerson’s mark by eight yards and finished his campaign with 2,097 yards.

Here’s a look at the best rushing season in NFL history.

player	season	team	Rushing yards
Eric Dickeron	1984	Aries	2,105
Adrian Peterson	2012	Vikings	2,097
Jamal Lewis	2003	Ravens	2,066
Barry Sanders	1997	Lions	2,053
Derrick Henry	2020	Titans	2,027
Terrell Davis	1998	Broncos	2,008
Chris Johnson	2009	Titans	2,006
OJ Simpson	1973	Bills	2,003