PHILADELPHIA — Saquon Barkley achieved a remarkable milestone by breaking the Philadelphia Eagles’ single-season rushing record during the fourth quarter against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, with a critical 9-yard run.
Barkley surpassed LeSean McCoy’s previous record of 1,607 rushing yards, which had stood since 2013. In this impressive first season with the Eagles, Barkley entered the game third on the all-time season list and overtook Wilbert Montgomery, who ended his season with 1,512 yards in 1978.
With the Eagles leading 22-16 and needing 109 yards to set the record, fans erupted with chants of “MVP! MVP!” as Barkley made his record-breaking run late in the fourth quarter.
He also remains on track to challenge Eric Dickerson’s long-standing NFL single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards, set back in 1984 while he played for the Los Angeles Rams.
Entering the game, Barkley had accumulated an NFL-best 1,499 rushing yards through 12 games, averaging an impressive 124.9 yards per game. Should he continue at this pace, and with an additional game to play compared to Dickerson, he could cement his place in NFL history as the leading single-season rusher.
After leaving the New York Giants during the offseason, Barkley signed a lucrative three-year deal with the Eagles worth $26 million guaranteed, making him the highest-paid running back in franchise history.
The 27-year-old has certainly lived up to expectations and the investment made in him.
BetMGM Sportsbook currently has Barkley at 3-1 odds to win the AP NFL Most Valuable Player award, placing him just behind Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen in the MVP race.
There was widespread anticipation that Barkley would reach this record against the Panthers, a team that had given up the most rushing yards in the league leading into Week 14. Just last week, Tampa Bay’s Bucky Irving had a career-high 152 yards against them.
To surpass Dickerson’s record, Barkley required 606 yards over the last five games of the season. He has already made his mark within the Eagles franchise, boasting a record nine games with over 100 rushing yards in one season. He also leads the league with four rushing touchdowns of 25 or more yards this season.
Originally selected as the No. 2 overall pick by the Giants in the 2018 NFL Draft, Barkley was allowed to enter free agency this past offseason.
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, who had previously been hesitant to invest in premium running backs, seized the opportunity to sign Barkley, a decision that has been hailed as a significant success throughout the Philadelphia community since the opening game of the season.
In his debut against Green Bay, Barkley made a striking impact by rushing for two touchdowns and catching another pass for a score, marking the first time since Terrell Owens in 2004 that an Eagles player scored three touchdowns in his debut.
Since then, Barkley’s production and popularity have soared, highlighted by a remarkable leap over a Jacksonville defender last month that made waves on highlight reels.
He has since surpassed every other running back in the Eagles’ rushing record books, while also positioning himself for an opportunity at NFL history.
