NFL single-season rushing record: What Saquon Barkley needs to do to break Eric Dickerson’s 40-year-old mark | Sporting News United Kingdom

Saquon Barkley’s 255-yard explosion against the Rams put two historic milestones firmly on the table for the Eagles star.

A 2,000-yard rushing season is suddenly well within reach for Barkley, meaning the NFL’s single-season rushing record is in the picture as well as Philadelphia rides its bell-cow back to a playoff berth.

Many have come for Eric Dickerson’s record since he set it in 1984. No one has broken it, despite a handful of 2,000-yard rushing seasons in the four decades that have followed. Is Barkley the latest to threaten the record and fall short, or does he have a path to history?

Here’s a look at the NFL’s single-season rushing leaders and where Barkley stands entering Week 13. 

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NFL single-season rushing record

Former Rams RB Eric Dickerson holds the NFL’s single-season rushing record with 2,105 yards in a 16-game season in 1984. Here are the top 12 single-season rushing leaders in league history. All were done in 16 games seasons except O.J. Simpson, who ran for 2,003 yards in 14 games in 1973.

Eight players have run for 2,000 yards in a season, but only Dickerson has hit the 2,100-yard mark. On one hand, the NFL’s expanded 17-game schedule makes the path easier, but teams also don’t often feature running games like they once did.

Running game efficiency has reached new heights in 2024, though. Defenses have successfully adjusted to high-flying passing games, and many offenses are responding by putting more emphasis on the run. That’s one reason Barkley and Derrick Henry are both past 1,300 yards with six games remaining, but a bigger factor is simply that they are both excellent players.

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Saquon Barkley rushing yards pace

Barkley has 1,392 rushing yards through 11 games, putting him on pace for 2,151 yards over 17 games.

2,151 rushing yards would easily clear Dickerson’s record, and it leaves plenty of cushion for Barkley to join the 2,000-yard club even with some regression down the stretch. Barkley needs to average 101.3 rushing yards per game to reach 2,000, and he will need 119 per game to break Dickerson’s record.

Is it realistic to think Barkley can sustain his current pace? The Eagles will continue to run their offense through him, one would have to think, and their ability to get out to leads should work in Barkley’s favor. Philadelphia faces three teams with a winning record and three with a losing record the rest of the way, including Sunday’s game against the Ravens, so the schedule is balanced.

The biggest roadblocks could be fatigue or the Eagles’ unwillingness to overwork Barkley. It wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for a heavily-used running back to slow down a bit late in the season, particularly knowing Barkley’s injury history.

That injury history could also be why Philadelphia prioritizes rest over records. The Eagles plan on making a Super Bowl push, and they will need Barkley for it. The franchise isn’t likely to take unnecessary risks with their running back, and they could have the NFC East locked up well before Week 18.

If the No. 1 seed remains in play, though, Barkley could maintain a heavy workload considering the importance of getting a first-round bye. 

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Eagles remaining schedule

The Eagles face four bottom-10 run defenses, in terms of yards per carry, over their final six games, setting up Barkley for some soft landing spots as he pursues the single-season rushing record.

Barkley does, however, face a pair of top-five defenses in the Ravens on Sunday and the Steelers in Week 15. The weakest run defense he will face is the Giants in Week 18, but it’s fair to wonder whether the Eagles will be in a position to rest their starters at that point.

If Philadelphia has nothing to play for, would Barkley still get into the game? He might have to be on the verge of the record, or 2,000 yards, for that to happen.

A strong showing against a tough Ravens run defense would be a huge step toward history for Barkley, but it will be worth watching whether the Eagles focus more on passing the ball considering the way Baltimore’s pass defense has struggled.