Saquon Barkley took a historically significant step Sunday in his record-breaking quest, moving past the 2,000-yard rushing mark as the Philadelphia Eagles thumped the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
Barkley became the ninth player in NFL history to surpass the famed threshold, which was most recently accomplished by Derrick Henry in 2020. Like Henry and the eight legends before him, Barkley accomplished the feat in 16 or fewer games, not needing the extra 17th game to reach the mark.
Barkley will now use that 17th game, assuming he plays against the New York Giants in Week 18, to go after Eric Dickerson’s NFL single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards set in 1984. Barkley, who tallied 167 yards against the Cowboys, entered Sunday averaging 122.5 yards per game this season.
The 27-year-old tailback reached 2,000 yards in classic Barkley fashion, hurdling and juking his way 23 yards through a congested maze of Cowboys defenders. The home Philadelphia crowd responded with a standing ovation as its star returned to the Eagles’ sideline.
SAQUON BARKLEY. 2K RUSHING YARDS. pic.twitter.com/HDS8Jy1MRK
— NFL (@NFL) December 29, 2024
The Eagles’ crowd has had plenty of Barkley moments to celebrate in his first season in Philadelphia, as Barkley also broke the NFL record for most rushing yards in a player’s first season with a new team.
Dickerson, who broke O.J. Simpson’s record of 2,003 yards (set in 14 games in 1973), has seen his record survive seven other 2,000-yard rushers in the four decades since his historic season with the Los Angeles Rams.
- Barry Sanders: 2,053 yards in 1997
- Terrell Davis: 2,008 yards in 1998
- Jamal Lewis: 2,066 yards in 2003
- Chris Johnson: 2,006 yards in 2009
- Adrian Peterson: 2,097 yards in 2012
- Henry: 2,027 yards in 2020
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(Photo: Mitchell Leff / Getty Images)
