Overreaction Monday: Saquon Barkley isn't just chasing MVP, but Eric Dickerson

Entering the 2018 NFL Draft, former Penn State running back Saquon Barkley established himself as a generational prospect. He had the ability to burst through the line of scrimmage and the elusiveness to slip out of a tackle. 

Barkley appeared to be of the same ilk as all-time great Barry Sanders, and that was enough to make him the highest-drafted running back since Reggie Bush in 2006. Unfortunately, Barkley was set up for failure when the New York Giants selected him with the No. 2 overall pick. 

Unlike Sanders, Barkley didn’t rot away on a struggling team for the entirety of his career. In his sixth season, Barkley crossed state lines to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles.

In Philadelphia, Barkley no longer appears to be interested in comparisons with Sanders. Instead, he has his sights on Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson, who holds the NFL record for the most rushing yards in a single season.

Saquon Barkley could break Eric Dickerson’s long-standing record

Dickerson set the record during the 1984 season, finishing with 2,105 rushing yards in 16 games. Barkley brought himself into contention for the record after compiling 261 rushing yards during a 37-20 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football.

That performance brought his rushing total up to 1,392 yards and puts him on pace to finish with 2,151 rushing yards, per AP NFL writer Rob Maaddi. That total would break Dickerson’s single-season record.

Over the past four decades, many have tried — and failed — to eclipse Dickerson's record.

Barkley has the luxury of an additional regular season game to surpass Dickerson, but it still won’t be easy. In order to break the record, Barkley would have to average 119 yards per game for the rest of the regular season. Although his current per-game average is higher than that, the figure has been inflated by his remarkable Week 12 performance. Prior to the outlier, Barkley was averaging 113.7 yards per game, which would leave him nearly 200 yards shy of the record. 

Unless Barkley can put together another 200-yard night, he’s unlikely to maintain his pace. After all, defenses will begin to hone in on stopping him from reaching that goal once he gets closer. That’s exactly what happened to Hall of Fame running back Adrian Peterson in 2012. The Green Bay Packers prevented Peterson from breaking the record in the final game of that season. The star running back finished that game with 199 rushing yards, leaving him just nine yards short of breaking Dickerson’s record.