Saquon Barkley rushing record tracker: How Eagles star’s 2024 stats compare to Eric Dickerson

Saquon Barkley has already put up the best rushing season in Eagles history. The Philadelphia running back broke LeSean McCoy’s franchise record in Week 15 of the 2024 season, cementing himself among the great Eagles running backs in just his first year with the franchise. 

Now, Barkley has his eyes on NFL history. 

The Eagles superstar is on pace to threaten the single-season record owned by former Rams star Eric Dickerson. With just three games left in the regular season, Barkley has his work cut out for him, but it’s certainly possible considering the season he is having. 

Of course, Barkley has his eyes on a bigger prize — a Super Bowl. While he is well aware of where he stands in comparison to Dickerson’s record, it’s not the end goal for a player who is known for his team-first mentality. 

“If I don’t get it, I’m not gonna be depressed,” Barkley said about the rushing record. “If I do get it, I’m not gonna be crazy happy. It’s a record. They’re meant to be broken.”

As for Dickerson, the NFL Hall of Famer is “most definitely” supporting Barkley on his quest for the MVP. But in terms of the record, Dickerson would prefer if it was his name still attached to the rushing record. 

“No, I don’t want my record broken,” Dickerson said. “If he breaks it, he breaks it, and I’m not gonna lose sleep over it. But when I broke that record, I didn’t have kids at the time, but I said, if anyone breaks it, I’d like my son to break it.”

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So how close is Barkley to Dickerson’s mark? The Sporting News is tracking the 2024 progress of the Eagles star. 

Saquon Barkley stats

Stats following Week 16

Following Philadelphia’s Week 16 game against Washington, Barkley is up to 1,838 rushing yards on the season. 

The Eagles star is 162 yards shy of reaching 2,000 yards. If he were to hit the milestone, he would become only the ninth player ever in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season. 

Barkley is 267 yards away from Dickerson’s rushing record. Dickerson, the former star for the Rams, is the only player in NFL history to end a season with at least 2,100 rushing yards. 

Saquon Barkley rushing yards pace

After Week 16, Barkley is averaging 122.5 yards per game in the 2024 campaign. This is the first season in his career he is averaging over 100 yards per game on the ground.  

If Barkley continues that pace for the last three games in the regular season, then he would finish with 2,083 yards. That would allow him to hit the historic 2,000-yard threshold, and he would cement himself as owning one of the best rushing seasons in NFL history. 

However, at that pace, he would fall short of Dickerson’s mark. Barkley would be 22 yards away from the NFL rushing record. 

Looking at the rest of the Eagles’ schedule, Philadelphia has two divisional matchups left in 2024, one each against the Cowboys and Giants. That bodes incredibly well for Barkley, as both of those units rank among the worst rushing defenses in the league. 

Entering action in Week 17, Dallas ranks 29th in rushing yards allowed per game (136.1), and New York is 31st (143.7). Barkley tore apart the Giants the first time the Eagles played their foes this season, recording 146 against New York. However, he was held to just 66 rushing yards in the first meeting against Dallas. 

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Eric Dickerson rushing record

Dickerson owns the all-time single-season rushing record for the NFL. He set the mark in 1984 when he rushed for 2,105 yards with the Rams. He averaged an astonishing 131.6 yards per game that season. 

The closest another player has come to the record was Adrian Peterson’s performance during the 2012 season with the Vikings. He came eight yards short of Dickerson’s mark, ending his campaign with 2,097 yards. 

Here’s a look at the best rushing season in NFL history.