PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Eagles fans serenaded Saquon Barkley with chants of “MVP!” after a nine-yard run gave him the team’s season rushing record.
Barkley set the record in style — passing Eagles Hall of Famers Wilbert Montgomery and record-holder LeSean McCoy in a single game — as he rushed for 124 yards to push his season total to 1,623 in a 22-16 victory over Carolina.
The total was enough for Barkley to top McCoy’s 1,607 yards in 2013.
Barkley also maintained his pace to break Eric Dickerson’s NFL single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards, set in 1984 with the Los Angeles Rams.
At his pace, Barkley should that reach milestone, even possibly ahead of the 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?
Barkley leads the NFL in rushing with 1,623 yards, a hefty 216 yards ahead of Baltimore’s Derrick Henry at 1,407 (though the Ravens had a bye Sunday).
He is averaging 124.8 yards per game. At that pace, and with one more game to play than Dickerson had, he would become the top single-season rusher in NFL history. He needs 483 yards over the final four games to top Dickerson’s 40-year-old record. Barkley is on pace for 2,122 yards, which would put him just 17 yards beyond Dickerson’s 2,105 total.
What’s the schedule like for Barkley?
Just on the quality of defenses alone, Barkley faces little pushback down the stretch.
He feasted against a Panthers defense that was one of the worst against the run in the NFL. Barkley averaged 6.2 yards on 20 carries against Carolina and could easily expect to match that pace over at least three of the next four games.
The Steelers come to Philly on Sunday and should provide the stiffest test to Barkley in his record pursuit. Pittsburgh is fourth in the NFL in run defense.
After the Steelers, Barkley could run wild.
Washington is 28th in the NFL in run defense, Dallas is 27th and he would face the 30th-ranked rushing defense in the season finale against the Giants.
Why is Barkley with the Eagles?
The 27-year-old Barkley has absolutely flourished in his first season with the Eagles.
He is among the favorites for league MVP, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen was the only player with better MVP odds on Monday.
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 second overall out of Penn State with the No. 2 pick in the 2018 draft. 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 also 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.”
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. Barkley was limited to two games in 2020 after he suffered a torn ACL.
Barkley has played through minor injuries this season and proved his durability by leading the NFL with 246 carries.
But injuries might not be his only potential problem. The Eagles’ nine-game winning streak has them sitting as the No. 2 seed in the NFC. Should they clinch that spot early, the final game against New York could be pretty meaningless and coach Nick Sirianni could have to decide if Barkley goes for the mark or sits out ahead of the playoffs.
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 12 games before the NFL expanded to 16 in 1978. The NFL moved to 17 games in 2021.
