By Dan Gelston
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Saquon Barkley knew the Eagles season rushing record could be his on Sunday with the type of stellar performance that has become the standard during his first season in Philadelphia.
As for the exact moment Barkley hit the milestone, he wasn’t sure — until the “MVP!” chants echoed throughout the Linc after a 9-yard run in the fourth quarter.
“The records are great, they put a smile on your face,” Barkley said, “but the season is far from over.”
Needing 109 yards to break LeSean McCoy’s record, Barkley rushed for 124 yards and pushed his season total to 1,623 in a 22-16 victory over Carolina.
Barkley needed just 13 games to pass McCoy, who rushed for 1,607 yards in 2013. He also overtook Wilbert Montgomery, who had 1,512 yards in 1978.
“I never wrote the goal down to break it,” Barkley said. “You’re always aware of it. That’s how I train. That’s how I operate in the offseason. I want to be great.”
Barkley also maintained his pace to break Eric Dickerson’s NFL single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards, set in 1984 with the Los Angeles Rams.
“That would be extremely cool to do,” Barkley said. “If it happens, it happens, and not with the mindset of, I’m scared to go try to do it. Whatever it takes to win football games.”
AP Photo/Matt Slocum
Barkley is averaging 124.8 yards per game. At that pace and with one more game to play than Dickerson, he would become the top single-season rusher in NFL history. He needs 483 yards yards over the final four games to top Dickerson’s 40-year-old record.
He averaged 6.2 yards on 20 carries against the Panthers to help the Eagles win their ninth straight game.
McCoy, who was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame this season, remains the franchise’s rushing leader with 6,792 yards. Referencing his old uniform number, McCoy congratulated Barkley on social media with “a lot of love, coming from 2-5.”
“Being a fan of Shady’s growing up, and seeing the spectacular things he was able to do with the ball in his hand, to be able to have my name mentioned with him definitely means a lot,” Barkley said.
Barkley left the New York Giants in the offseason and signed a three-year deal worth $26 million guaranteed to join the Eagles, who made him the highest-paid running back in franchise history.
The 27-year-old has been worth every dollar.
Barkley is among the favorites for league MVP, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen was the only player with better MVP odds entering Sunday.
AP Photo/Derik Hamilton
Barkley has a franchise-record nine 100-yard rushing games in a season. Although he was held out of the end zone Sunday, he began the day leading the league with four rushing touchdowns of 25-plus yards.
Barkley, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft, topped 1,000 yards three times in his six seasons with the Giants. He finished with 1,312 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns in 2022 and rushed for 1,307 yards and 11 scores as a rookie.
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, who had been unwilling to spend on elite running backs, pounced on Barkley and the decision was celebrated as a success in Philly from the first game of the season.
Barkley rushed for two scores and caught a TD pass in the opener against Green Bay. His three touchdowns were the most by an Eagles player in his debut since Terrell Owens in 2004.
Barkley only soared in production and popularity from there, his highlight reel stamped by a reverse leap over the head of a Jacksonville defender last month.
He’s since vaulted over every running back ahead of him on the Eagles rushing list — and has a chance at NFL history.
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