Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley joined one of the most elite clubs in NFL history Sunday when his juke through the left side of Philadelphia’s offensive line made him only the ninth player to rush for at least 2,000 yards in a single season.
Barkley entered the Week 17 matchup with 1,838 yards, already a career high by more than 500 yards, and proceeded to gash Dallas for 167 yards on 31 carries, as the Eagles continued to hand the ball off to him knowing how close he was to the 2,000-yard threshold.
Now with 2,005 yards on the season, Barkley joins a select group.:
- Eric Dickerson: 2,105 yards (1984)
- Adrian Peterson: 2,097 (2012)
- Jamal Lewis: 2,066 (2003)
- Barry Sanders 2,053 (1997)
- Derrick Henry 2,027 (2020)
- Terrell Davis 2,008 (1998)
- Chris Johnson 2,006 (2009)
- Saquon Barkley 2,005 (2024)
- O.J. Simpson 2,003 (1973)
And with one game still to play in the regular season, he is 100 yards from breaking Dickerson’s record, which has endured for 40 years.
With Philadelphia having already clinched a playoff berth, the question is whether coach Nick Sirianni will want to expose Barkley to more wear and tear in pursuit of the record next week or will rest him ahead of the postseason.
In a poetic twist, Barkley would have the opportunity to break the record next week against his former team, the New York Giants. Nine months after the Giants allowed him to walk in free agency, he could rush past them, right into the record book.
