Will Eagles' Saquon Barkley break single-season rushing record?

The Philadelphia Eagles (12-3) are emerging as one of the top contenders in the 2024 playoffs. The Birds have one of the deepest and most talented rosters in the NFL. The NFC East has not had a repeat division champion in 20 consecutive seasons and the Eagles are one win away from securing the division title. They fell to the Washington Commanders (10-5) on Sunday of Week 16 without quarterback Jalen Hurts, who suffered a concussion in the first half. Still, Saquon Barkley continued to charge toward history.

During the offseason, the Eagles retooled their defense to pair with a star-studded offensive lineup that included Hurts, AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith. But no move this offseason was bigger than the signing of superstar running back Saquon Barkley. The last time a non-quarterback won NFL MVP honors was in 2012, and Barkley has made a strong case for shaking up the status quo in 2024.

Will Saquon Barkley break the single-season rushing yards record?

The former No. 2 overall pick is as explosive and electrifying as he is in the backfield. Barkley rushed for 150 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday’s loss. He ran for 109 yards in the first quarter but was held in check for the rest of the game. He has 1,838 rushing yards in 15 games and leads the NFL with 42 runs of at least 10 yards.

Barkley broke the single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards set by Eric Dickerson in 1984. Entering Week 16, he needed to average 139.3 yards per game to break the record and surpassed that rate against Washington.

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His 68-yard touchdown run in the first half against the Commanders tied Adrian Peterson (2012) and Jim Brown (1963) as the fastest touchdowns of 60 or more yards in a season, with four each. Both Hall of Fame running backs won MVPs in those years.

Barkley runs behind an offensive line that has managed the most rushing yards before contact in the NFL (3.9). Offensive linemen Lane Johnson, Jordan Mailata and Landon Dickerson have helped make this one of the most dominant rushing offenses in modern NFL history. Philadelphia leads the NFL with 554 rush attempts (Pittsburgh has the second most with 479). Only eight players have rushed for more than 2,000 yards in a season, and Barkley only needs 162 to reach that mark.

Saquon has Eric Dickerson’s record in his sights with two games remaining in the regular season.

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Will Eagles’ Saquon Barkley break single-season rushing record?

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