Saquon Barkley needs 268 yards rushing his final two games to become the NFL’s new single-season rushing champion, and the current record holder is hoping Barkley misses the mark.
Barkley has proven to be the best signing of the offseason after the Philadelphia Eagles inked him to a three-year deal after six seasons with the division rival New York Giants.
Barkley has put himself in the league MVP conversation, averaging 122.5 rushing yards per game and taking the Birds to another level.
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Eric Dickerson and Saquon Barkley in action (Imagn)
Barkley would need to average 134 yards per game the last two weeks to break the record, a number he has notched six times this season already.
Eric Dickerson set the record of 2,105 yards in 1984, and the Los Angeles Rams legend admits he wants to remain the king.
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“I don’t think he’ll break it. But if he breaks it, he breaks it. Do I want him to break it? Absolutely not,” Dickerson told the Los Angeles Times this week. “I don’t pull no punches on that.”
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley walks to the bench during the second half against the Washington Commanders Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Dickerson set the record in 16 games, so Barkley has one extra contest to break the record. Dickerson doesn’t mind that too much.
“I’m not whining about it. He had 17 games to do it? Hey, football is football. That’s the way I look at it. If he’s fortunate to get over 2,000 yards and get the record, it’s a great record to have,” he continued.
Barkley’s mostly likely chance to break the record will come against his former team, which Dickerson said would be “a true slap in the face.”
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs with the ball against the Carolina Panthers during the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
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Barkley is on pace to become the ninth player to rush for 2,000 yards in a season. The other eight all did it in 16-game seasons, including the most recent, Derrick Henry, four years ago.