Saquon Barkley is chasing Eric Dickerson’s NFL season rushing record. Can he do it?

AP Sports Writer

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Saquon Barkley has more meaningful football to play this season — giving the Philadelphia Eagles running back a better chance at making a serious run at breaking Eric Dickerson’s season rushing record.

Barkley ran for 109 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter alone and finished with 150 in Sunday’s 36-33 loss to Washington.

Barkley now leads the NFL with 1,838 yards rushing for the season through 15 games. He still needs two big outings in the final games of the season against Dallas and the New York Giants to top Dickerson and his 2,105 yards for the Los Angeles Rams in 1984.

The 27-year-old Barkley is 268 yards away from passing Dickerson for the season mark and 162 shy from becoming the ninth player in NFL history with 2,000 yards rushing in a season.

Barkley gets an extra shot at the NFL record thanks to a 17th game of the season that Dickerson and the NFL did not have in 1984.

Here’s a look at what’s ahead for Barkley and his chances of catching Dickerson:

Where does Barkley stand in the record chase?

The Eagles’ loss cost them their first shot at clinching the NFC East, meaning the team has something to play for Sunday against Dallas at Lincoln Financial Field.

Barkley is a hefty 202 yards ahead of Baltimore’s Derrick Henry at 1,636.

Barkley averages 122.5 rushing yards per game this season, which puts him on pace for 2,083 yards this season — 23 yards shy of setting the record.

Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson ran for 2,097 yards in 2012 and is second on the season rushing list.

Should the Eagles clinch a division title and a home game in the playoffs, they could play a meaningless finale against the Giants. Eagles coach Nick Sirianni could decide to rest Barkley for the playoffs rather than risk injury playing for the NFL rushing record.

What’s the schedule like for Barkley?

Just on the quality of defenses alone, Barkley could come within striking distance of Dickerson’s mark.

The Cowboys are 28th in the NFL in rushing defense and have allowed 2,039 yards this season while the Giants are 31st in rushing defense and have allowed 2,139 yards.

Why is Barkley with the Eagles?

The 27-year-old Barkley has flourished in his first season with the Eagles.

Barkley might enjoy the delicious twist of setting the record against his old team, the Giants — but surely not the 17th-game asterisk that would come with the total.

Barkley was drafted out of Penn State with the No. 2 overall pick in 2018. He was an instant success in New York and ran for 1,307 yards his rookie season. Barkley ran for 5,211 yards and 35 touchdowns and had 288 receptions for 2,100 yards and 12 TDs in six years with the Giants.

He hit free agency after the Giants elected not to put a franchise tag on him.

Barkley signed a three-year deal with the Eagles for $26 million guaranteed and $37.75 million overall, making him the highest-paid running back in franchise history.

His free agency was chronicled by the reality sports documentary television series “Hard Knocks.”

In the crucial scene, Giants general manager Joe Schoen told Barkley the Giants would not make him an offer, nor stick the franchise tag on him. Rather, the Giants would let Barkley test the free-agent market, a move that sent him to an NFC East rival.

“I’ll have a tough time sleeping if Saquon goes to Philadelphia, I’ll tell you that,” team owner John Mara said to Schoen in the series. “As I’ve told you, just being around enough players, he’s the most popular player we have, by far.”

Under general manager Howie Roseman, the Eagles generally had been loath to use high draft picks or valuable salary cap space on a running back.

Barkley was deemed a worthy exception.

Can Barkley stay healthy?

Barkley has been a workhorse this season and worked a heavy load in New York — when he was healthy. Barkley only twice played in 16 games with the Giants.

He played in 14 games last season, missing three because of a high ankle sprain. He ran for 962 yards and six touchdowns. He was limited to two games in 2020 after he suffered a torn ACL.

Barkley has played through minor injuries this season — like against Pittsburgh — but has otherwise proved his durability by leading the NFL with 314 carries.

T
he first time around

Barkley ran for 176 yards and a touchdown in his first career game against the Giants. He ran for only 66 yards against Dallas.

Barkley has a career-high 12 rushing touchdowns this season, the first Eagles running back to hit that total since LeSean McCoy had a team-record 17 in 2011.

Who was Eric Dickerson?

Sporting his trademark goggles and Jheri curl, Dickerson was one of the great running backs in the 1980s, and the Hall of Famer was widely considered one of the best of all time.

Dickerson finished his career with 13,259 yards, the ninth-most in NFL history. Emmitt Smith holds the career NFL rushing record with 18,355 yards.

In 1984, Dickerson topped 100 yards rushing 12 times to break Buffalo’s O.J. Simpson’s 1973 record of 2,003 yards rushing in a single season.

Simpson set his record in 14 games before the NFL expanded to 16 in 1978. The NFL moved to 17 games in 2021.

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