Before the season started, Saquon Barkley let Philadelphia Eagles fans know how high he sets the bar for himself.
He said he wasn’t trying to be cocky — it’s hard to imagine anyone accusing him of that, given his unassuming demeanor — but he stated plainly that he wasn’t just chasing his contemporaries at running back. He wanted to reach higher than that.
“I just want to be great, man, that’s it,” Barkley said. “I just want to take it to the highest level I can take it. That’s my goal.
“What does great look like for me? That’s tough, because I want to be the best of all time.”
Best of all time seemed like a stretch after some fairly quiet recent years with the New York Giants. Then the Eagles’ season started.
By the time the Eagles won the NFC championship, Barkley’s goal came true in at least one way: He put together arguably the greatest season ever for a running back. And that’s before the Eagles kick off Super Bowl LIX.
Saquon Barkley’s unbelievable season
Barkley had a good chance at an iconic NFL record in the Eagles’ season finale. He was exactly 100 yards behind Eric Dickerson’s record of 2,105 yards, set in 1984. Barkley admitted he wanted a shot at it, but he went along with head coach Nick Sirianni’s decision to rest all starters in Week 18.
“We didn’t come here and I didn’t sign here to break Eric Dickerson’s record,” Barkley said, via NBC Sports Philadelphia. “We came here to win a Super Bowl.”
Barkley didn’t break Dickerson’s record, but he’s about to break another one that doesn’t get talked about as much. And it should get more attention.
Terrell Davis had 2,476 yards during the 1998 season, counting playoffs. Barkley needs 30 yards to break that record. With 53 yards, Barkley will have the first 2,500-yard rushing season in NFL history, counting playoffs.
Davis had the only season with 2,700 yards from scrimmage in a season including playoffs, at 2,762. Barkley has 2,760 with a game to play. He’s about to have 2,800 total yards in a season, when only one other player is above 2,686.
With all respect to Dickerson and regular-season records, that record with the playoffs included seems like it should be considered more impactful when we’re talking about NFL history.
It’s not Barkley’s only record from this season. He has an NFL record seven rushing touchdowns of 60 or more yards, and that includes three this postseason. The old record was four. No other player had more than three rushing touchdowns of 60 yards or more in their entire postseason career.
It’s not supposed to be this easy against NFL competition.
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The greatest running back seasons ever
Ranking Barkley’s season among the all-time greats is complicated. Some teams, like O.J. Simpson’s Buffalo Bills, weren’t good enough to help their star running back to a deep playoff run. But quarterbacks get extra credit and then some for playoff performances, so why shouldn’t running backs?
Barkley had 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns with a 5.8-yard average in the regular season. He added 278 yards and two touchdowns receiving. Then in the playoffs, he has posted 477 total yards and five touchdowns to help the Eagles to the Super Bowl.
That’s an unbelievable season, and here is how it compares to the greatest running back seasons ever:
Jim Brown, 1963: All of Brown’s seasons could be on the list, but 1963 was his best. He had 1,863 yards and 12 touchdowns, averaging 6.4 yards per carry and 133.1 yards per game. It’s hard to blame Brown for Cleveland not playing for a championship that season, but the Browns went 10-4 and didn’t play for the NFL title.
O.J. Simpson, 1973: The number 2,003 isn’t the NFL record anymore but it’s way more iconic than 2,105. Simpson averaged 143.1 yards per game, 10 yards more than second place on that list (Brown in 1963). He was NFL MVP, the last MVP for a player whose team didn’t make the playoffs. He also led the NFL with 12 touchdowns. The Bills went 9-5 despite passing for 997 yards and four touchdowns all season (that’s not a typo). It’s maybe the most famous season in NFL history.
Eric Dickerson, 1984: Dickerson’s 2,105 yards has stood as the record for 40 years. He also led the NFL with 14 rushing touchdowns and helped the Rams to the playoffs. In the postseason, he had 107 yards in a Rams loss. It’s a great season and memorable because the record has lasted so long.
Barry Sanders, 1997: This was Sanders’ masterpiece, with 2,053 rushing yards. It’s even more impressive when you consider he had just 53 yards through two games. He rattled off 14 straight 100-yard games to end the season and won a share of NFL MVP. Of course, the Lions being the Lions, they were one-and-done in the playoffs, with Sanders gaining just 65 yards.
Terrell Davis, 1998: For at least another week and a half, Davis is the yardage record holder, counting playoffs. He won NFL MVP with a 2,000-yard rushing season. Davis was a monster in the postseason, as he was his whole prime, with 468 more rushing yards. The Broncos won the Super Bowl. It’s hard to nitpick any of that.
Marshall Faulk, 2000: Faulk had three of the greatest seasons ever from 1999-2001. It’s hard to pick one. The 2000 season was his MVP campaign, when he had 2,189 yards from scrimmage and 26 touchdowns, then a record. If you prefer 1999, he had a league-best 2,429 yards from scrimmage, 12 touchdowns and helped the Rams win a Super Bowl. His dual ability as a rusher and receiver is still unmatched.
LaDainian Tomlinson, 2006: Tomlinson had 31 touchdowns this season, three more than any other player has had in a season through NFL history. Only once since then has anyone come within 10 touchdowns of Tomlinson’s record (Randy Moss’ 23 in 2007). Tomlinson had 2,323 yards, which didn’t lead the NFL that season (the Rams’ Steven Jackson had 2,334 total from scrimmage), but won NFL MVP. The Chargers went 14-2 but lost their first playoff game to the Patriots, though Tomlinson had 187 total yards and two touchdowns.
Chris Johnson, 2009: Johnson’s 2,509-yard season should be more memorable. That’s the most yardage from scrimmage in a single season. Yet, “2,105” is way more well known, like receiving yards don’t count as well. Johnson was unbelievable that season but the Titans weren’t, going just 8-8 and missing the playoffs.
Adrian Peterson, 2012: Peterson was the last non-quarterback to win an NFL MVP, and might be for a long time now that it has morphed into a QB-only award. Peterson was great, with 2,097 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns with a 6-yard average as he lifted a Vikings team with a poor passing game to the playoffs.
Whoever you put atop the list of greatest running back season might differ based on personal taste. Most rushing yards would be Dickerson, most total yards would be Johnson, most touchdowns would be Tomlinson, doing the most with the least help would be Simpson, putting it all together with a Super Bowl ring at the end would be Davis or Faulk.
A vote for Barkley is justified, too. He’s about to have the most rushing yards and most total yards in a season, counting the all-important postseason. There should be extra weight on that. The Eagles have had a great season and are in the Super Bowl with Barkley leading the way, one long touchdown run at a time.
If the Eagles do win Super Bowl LIX, Barkley’s argument will get even stronger.
