Most rushing yards in the regular season plus playoffs: Saquon Barkley chasing record
By Scott Rogust
As it turns out, Saquon Barkley was exactly what the Philadelphia Eagles were missing. After hitting free agency, Barkley quickly signed a contract with the Eagles, his former team's biggest rival, and became an NFL MVP favorite.
In his first year behind the Eagles' stout offensive line, one of the best in the NFL for a long time, Barkley ran for over 2,000 yards in the regular season with a chance to break Eric Dickerson's single-season record. But head coach Nick Sirianni opted to bench his starters in Week 18 due in part to them being locked in for the No. 2 seed.
ON Sunday, the Eagles defeated the Washington Commanders 55-23 to win the NFC Championship and clinch their spot in Super Bowl 59. Barkley had a big performance in the game, scoring three touchdowns and 118 yards on just 15 carries.
While Barkley missed out on the regular season rushing record, he still has a chance to make history.
Saquon Barkley in the running for most rushing yards in regular season plus playoffs
In three playoff games, Saquon Barkley ran for 442 yards and five touchdowns. He is now 29 yards away from tying the single season rushing record for the regular season and the playoffs.
That record is currently held by Denver Broncos great Terrell Davis, who in 1998, ran for 2,476 yards. That year, Davis won the NFL MVP award after leading the NFL with 2,008 rushing yards and 21 rushing touchdowns. In the team's playoff run to his second Super Bowl victory, Davis ran for 468 yards and three touchdowns.
Saquon Barkley has 442 rushing yards and five touchdowns in three playoff games.
— Sam Quinn (@SamQuinnCBS) January 26, 2025
He’s 29 yards away from breaking Terrell Davis’ all-time record for most single-season rushing yards regular-season and playoffs combined.
By AAV he is the 183rd highest-paid player in the NFL.
Barkley ran for 2,005 yards in 16 regular season games. So his total for the year is 2,447 yards. So, he just needs 30 yards to break Davis' record. He could very well do that on one play in the Super Bowl, given how easily he can break away from defenders once finding an opening from his offensive linemen.
Make no mistake about it, Barkley wouldn't be putting up these numbers behind the Giants' turnstile of an offensive line, and that's not a knock on the running back. He's always had elite playmaking abilities, he was just stuck behind an o-line that could never open up holes for him. Now, in his first year on a team with great blocking, he's a legitimate threat for defenses. And he's on the verge of breaking a record while doing so.
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