Saquon Barkley Thanks O-line for Eagles' Season Rushing Record
Saquon Barkley credits offensive lineman after breaking Eagles’ single-season rushing record
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The historic season for Saquon Barkley continues as he adds another milestone to his MVP campaign. Barkley broke the franchise’s single-season rushing record with 124 yards during Sunday’s 22-16 win over the Panthers, bringing his 2024 total to 1,623 yards to surpass LeSean McCoy’s mark (1,607) set in 2013.
Chants of “MVP” rang out in Lincoln Financial Field once Barkley officially etched himself into the Philadelphia history books, providing another memorable moment in what has been a stellar debut season with the Eagles.
Barkley’s nine 100-plus yard rushing games in 2024 lead the NFL and that amount also broke Wilbert Montgomery’s franchise record (eight) set in 1979. Barkley also set another Eagles record with his fourth straight game rushing past the century mark, per NFL Research.
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Barkley payed homage to McCoy, acknowledging the influence that he had on a young Barkley. But all praise was due to the guys up front, in which Barkley made sure to sing the praises of the Eagles’ offensive line.
“I think it’s pretty cool, the most important thing was getting a win, and we got the win,” Barkley said after the win. “Being a fan of Shady (LeSean McCoy) growing up and seeing the spectacular things he was able to do with the ball in his hands and to be able to mentioned with him definitely means a lot. Gotta give credit to the guys up front. They’ve made my job a lot easier so far this year. Hopefully, it will continue.”
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Barkley’s week 14 performance against Caroline put him at 1,623 yards through 13 games. That means he is on pace to break the single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards set by Eric Dickerson in 1984. Barkley said if he does break the record that it was not intentional, but by design. The Penn State Alumni says he did not make it a goal this season, but the way he trains in the offseason sets him up for success, including this all of this year’s record breaking performances.
“I never wrote the goal down to break it, but you’re always aware of it,” Barkley said. “That’s how I train and that’s how I operate in the offseason and camp because I want to be great. That’s something that I want to do and something I believe I can do, especially with the men and women in our facility. They make it a lot easier for me.
“It’s all good. The records are great. They put a smile on your face, but the season’s far from over and there’s a lot of things that we would love to accomplish.”
Barkley, the NFL’s current rushing leader, also leads the league in scrimmage yards (1,890; 267 receiving yards) and is currently second in touchdowns scored (13; 11 rushing, two receiving). If he won, Barkley would become the first running back to claim AP NFL Most Valuable Player since Adrian Peterson did it in 2012.
