Saquon Barkley's pursuit of Eric Dickerson's NFL rushing record ends

EJ Smith, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Jan 1, 2025

Published in Football

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Saquon Barkley’s pursuit of the NFL single-season rushing record will come up just short.

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni revealed Wednesday the running back will be among the starters rested for the team’s regular-season finale against the New York Giants this Sunday. As a result, Barkley will finish the season with 2,005 rushing yards, exactly 100 yards shy of the mark Eric Dickerson set in 1984.

“We’re going to rest some guys,” Sirianni said. “... He’ll probably be someone that rests.”

At 13-3, the Eagles enter the Week 18 matchup against the Giants already locked into the No. 2 seed in the NFC and without playoff seeding at stake, something Sirianni pointed to as one of the factors in the decision to rest Barkley and Co. He also cited the Eagles’ Week 5 bye coming so early as a reason to prioritize giving the team’s main contributors a chance to recuperate before the postseason begins.

Sirianni said he had conversation with Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, general manager Howie Roseman, members of the coaching staff and a handful of players that included Barkley before making the decision. Players returned to the NovaCare Complex Wednesday for the first time since clinching the NFC East with a 41-7 blowout win over the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday.

“A lot plays into it,” Sirianni said. “Obviously it’s a very special record that’s been standing for a very long time by a great player. And obviously it’s a team record that everybody is involved in. You take, you weigh all those things, but at the end of the day, you just try to do what’s best for the team. Again, when the bye was, how guys are feeling, the bumps and bruises we can take care of.

“Our goals are to have success and to play good the next game we play,” Sirianni said. “Not only New York, but whoever we play after that, and we think that this plays into that. It wasn’t the easiest decision to go through, but we have great people in this building. ... We have selfless guys that want to do what’s best for the football team.”

Against the Cowboys, Barkley became the ninth player in NFL history to surpass the 2,000-yard mark, rushing for 167 yards on 31 attempts. His 2,005 yards ranks eighth all-time just ahead of O.J. Simpson’s 1973 season and just behind Chris Johnson’s 2009 campaign.

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