Running down history: 4 postseason records Saquon Barkley can break

On March 13, 2024, the Philadelphia Eagles signed Saquon Barkley. The initial thought was that he was going to be a great addition to the team and he’d be an asset in the running game. From a fan's perspective, he’d at least make the offense more fun and cooler to watch. It turns out that was the underestimation of the century. 

Saquon’s having one of the best seasons a running back has ever had in the history of professional football. The crazy thing is that he’s always had this kind of season in him, but he was just stuck in the talent prison of the New York Giants franchise. All he needed was to be on a different team, and the second he got a new team and a new offensive line, he reached his potential as a first-team All-Pro running back.

Fast forward 10 months, and with the Eagles getting ready to play in the NFC Championship game, Saquon has the opportunity to break a 42-year-old record, and a few more too.

Can Saquon Barkley break the record for most rushing yards in a single postseason?

We all know that it stinks that Saquon didn’t get to play in Week 18 so he could break the NFL’s single-season rushing record. It was the smart decision for the team, but it wasn’t the fun decision. That’s old news. 

We also know that Saquon has the opportunity to break the NFL’s single-season rushing record including the postseason. He’s trailing Terrell Davis, who holds both the first and second spots with 2,331 yards (1997) and 2,476 yards (1998). Saquon is at 2,329 rushing yards, so he’s just three yards from taking the second spot and 148 from getting the top spot.

It doesn’t seem like Saquon is the kind of guy who chases records, but if he can break them when he’s winning a Super Bowl then he’s totally cool with it. There are a handful of other records that he can break this postseason while he’s busy winning a Lombardi.

Most scrimmage yards in a season (including playoffs)

In 1998, the aforementioned Terrell Davis (Broncos) had 2,008 rushing and 217 receiving yards in the regular season, and 468 rushing and 69 receiving yards in the postseason. That set the record at 2,762 scrimmage yards. 

Saquon had 2,005 rushing and 278 receiving yards in the regular season, and 324 rushing and 31 receiving yards (so far) in the postseason. That’s 2,638 scrimmage yards and just 125 yards from breaking Davis’ record.

This one is incredibly doable. He’s averaging 129.4 rushing yards and 17.2 receiving yards per game. If the Eagles make it to the Super Bowl, he’ll blow this record out of the water. 

Most rushing yards vs. a single team in a season

In 2012, Adrian Peterson (Vikings) played the Packers three times and set the record at 508 yards, which is incredible. In Week 13 he rushed for 210 yards, in Week 17 it was 199 yards, then a week later in the Wild Card round it was 99 yards.

Saquon’s 205 yards in the divisional round brought him up to 460 total rushing yards against the Rams this season, which puts him fifth on this list. Now, he has an opportunity, albeit a small one, to do that in his third game against the Commanders in the NFC Championship game.

He’s rushed for 296 yards against Washington this season, which means he’ll have to get 213 yards on Sunday. Again, that’s not super likely, but it’s possible.

Hunting John Riggins’ postseason records

John Riggins had himself one hell of a playoff run in 1982 with Washington. In the wild card round, he rushed for 119 yards against the Lions. In the divisional round, he rushed for 185 yards against the Vikings. In the NFC Championship game, he rushed for 140 yards against the Cowboys. In the Super Bowl, he rushed for 166 yards and had 15 receiving yards against the Dolphins. That’s a grand total of 610 rushing and 625 scrimmage yards — Both are the most in NFL postseason history.

The thing is, Saquon’s also having one hell of a playoff run. He’s at 324 rushing yards through two games, which is ahead of schedule to beat Riggins. He’s just 287 yards away from breaking that record, which means he needs to get 144 rushing yards in each of the next two games. 

As far as the scrimmage yards record goes, he’s at 355 yards so he’s just 271 yards from breaking that record. He just needs to average 136 yards in the next two games. Both of these records are gettable. 

The Eagles have a 6-1 record when Saquon rushes for over 144 yards. Unfortunately, the only loss was against the Commanders in Week 16 and now they’re the only team separating the Eagles from the Super Bowl … So, you know … that’s kind of stupid, but it’s still super encouraging.