Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson may not have the most gracious response when asked about Saquon Barkley possibly breaking his mark for most rushing yards in a single season. But he’s certainly honest in how he feels about possibly being topped in the record book.
“I don’t think he’ll break it,” Dickerson said to the Los Angeles Times’ Sam Farmer. “Do I want him to break it? Absolutely not.”
Barkley is 268 yards away from Dickerson’s record of 2,105 yards, set during the 1984 season with the Los Angeles Rams. The Philadelphia Eagles have two games remaining on their regular-season schedule, giving Barkley a chance to overtake Dickerson.
With 1,838 yards, the seven-year veteran has to average 133.5 yards in those final two games to seize the all-time mark. Barkley has topped that number in six of his 15 games this season. With quarterback Jalen Hurts out while in concussion protocol, the Eagles may rely more on their ground game versus the Dallas Cowboys.
Dickerson is also quick to point out that if Barkley does surpass him, he’ll do it in 17 regular-season games — one more than Dickerson played in 1984.
“I don’t pull no punches on that. But I’m not whining about it,” he added. “He had 17 games to do it? Hey, football is football. That’s the way I look at it.”
If Barkley doesn’t overtake Dickerson for the single-season rushing mark, he can still join an exclusive club of NFL running backs who gained 2,000 yards. Eight others have rushed for 2,000 yards or more in a season. Derrick Henry did it most recently, gaining 2,027 yards in 2020 with the Tennessee Titans. O.J. Simpson was the first to break the 2,000-yard mark in 1973 with the Buffalo Bills — doing so in 14 games.
Here is the current list of 2,000 rushers:
Eric Dickerson – 2,105 (1984)
Adrian Peterson – 2,097 (2012)
Jamal Lewis – 2,066 (2003)
Barry Sanders – 2,053 (1997)
Derrick Henry – 2,027 (2020)
Terrell Davis – 2,008 (1998)
Chris Johnson – 2,006 (2009)
O.J. Simpson – 2,003 (1973)
Dickerson is also aware that Barkley could set the rushing mark against the New York Giants, the team that let Barkley go as a free agent. That would likely feel like redemption for Barkley and provide another embarrassing note in what’s been a miserable 2024 for the Giants.
“How ironic would it be for him to break the record on them, the team that let him go,” Dickerson said. “A true slap in the face.”
Legendary running back Eric Dickerson has made it clear that he is not rooting for New York Giants star Saquon Barkley to break his single-season rushing record.
In an interview with TMZ Sports, Dickerson was asked if he was rooting for Barkley to surpass his record of 2,105 rushing yards in a single season. His response was a resounding “Absolutely not.”
Dickerson went on to explain that he takes pride in holding onto his record and believes that records are meant to be broken, but he doesn’t want his record to be broken by just anyone.
“I want it to be broken by a great running back, not just a good one,” Dickerson said. “Saquon Barkley is a good running back, but he’s not a great one yet. So, absolutely not, I’m not rooting for him to break my record.”
While Dickerson may not be rooting for Barkley to break his record, the Giants running back has proven to be a dynamic playmaker in his own right and could potentially challenge the record in the future. Only time will tell if Barkley will be able to surpass Dickerson’s impressive mark.
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Eric Dickerson, Saquon Barkley, single-season rushing record, NFL, football, running back, records, competition, sportsmanship
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