Eagles’ Saquon Barkley passed a milestone, but what about Eric Dickerson’s record? ‘I want a banner up there.’
Barkley and the Eagles' offensive line celebrated his passing 2,000 yards this season. Aiming to break the NFL's single-season rushing record remains in question.
Landon Dickerson was dialed in. Jordan Mailata?
“This is how much of a dummy I am ...” the left tackle said after the Eagles throttled the Dallas Cowboys, 41-7.
The Eagles were getting ready for their first drive of the fourth quarter, outcome of the game no longer in question. Dickerson was saying in a huddle something to the effect of “we need 48 more yards.”
To break Eric Dickerson’s record? Mailata asked.
“No, you big dummy, 2,000,” Dickerson responded.
Mailata is like many who have been tracking Saquon Barkley’s progress toward Eric Dickerson’s single-season record of 2,105 yards, sort of brushing aside that Barkley was tracking to do something only eight running backs in NFL history had previously accomplished.
The Eagles went out for that first series in the fourth quarter, already ahead 34-7, with a mission. “Let’s go get this for this [expletive],” Lane Johnson said. So, one play after another, the ball went from Cam Jurgens to Tanner McKee to Barkley, who needed just five plays to cross the 2,000-yard threshold. He etched his name into the record books on a 23-yard run to the left side that was perfectly blocked. The Eagles called a timeout with 10 minutes, 49 seconds left. Barkley’s day was done.
» READ MORE: Eagles grades vs. Cowboys: Rout was on with Saquon Barkley’s spectacular second half
He finished the day with 167 yards on a season-high 31 carries and is at 2,005 yards for the season. He joined O.J. Simpson (1973); Eric Dickerson (1984); Barry Sanders (1997); Terrell Davis (1998); Jamal Lewis (2003); Chris Johnson (2009); Adrian Peterson (2012); and Derrick Henry (2020) in the 2,000-yard club.
“I’m not going to lie,” Barkley said. “Just being a fan of the game and the running back position, to reach a milestone and put myself up there with eight other backs that I respect, some of them I grew up watching, it definitely means a lot. But at the same time I wouldn’t be able to do that without this team. You can’t be great without the greatness of others and I’m just happy I was able to be a part of the team and reach a milestone like that.”
» READ MORE: Eric Dickerson on Saquon Barkley chasing his single-season rushing record: ‘I don’t think he’ll break it’
The intrigue now, though, is what comes next. Barkley’s big day left him 101 yards shy of breaking the record. The win locked the Eagles into no worse than the No. 2 seed in the NFC, but Minnesota’s victory a few hours later put the No. 1 seed out of the Eagles’ reach. Nick Sirianni said “we’ll see where we are in a couple days.”
In one corner of the Eagles’ locker room after the game, two differing opinions were offered. Lane Johnson, the right tackle, said “better be safe than sorry,” when asked if Barkley and the starters should chase Eric Dickerson’s record next week. Mailata, the left tackle, went the other way.
“Absolutely,” he said when asked if they should go for it.
Why?
“Why not?” Mailata said. “It’s an opportunity to make history.”
As for Barkley, he said it’ll be up to Sirianni.
“Whatever his decision is, I’m all for it,” Barkley said. “If his mindset is we’ll go out there and try it, then I’ll go out there and try it. But if his mindset is let’s rest and get ready for this run, I’m all for that, too. Breaking a record is special, but I want to be part of … I want a banner up there. I think we all do.
“The way I look at it is, if it’s in God’s plan then it is. I’m not overly trying to go get it. I’m not scared of it. I would love to, but at the end of the day we’ve got bigger things that we’re focusing on. I didn’t come here and sign here just to rush for 2,000 and break a record. I want to do something special, meaning special with the team.”
They’re in position to do something special in large part because of him. Barkley, who signed a three-year deal with the Eagles after the Giants let him walk, could break the record next weekend at home against his former team. He built a legitimate MVP case by going over the 100-yard mark 11 times and carrying the 13-3 Eagles to multiple victories. He has talked about the running back’s place in the game and resetting the free-agent market for backs of the future. And he has, along the way, credited the offensive line for a lot of his success.
» READ MORE: How two framed Saquon Barkley photos ended up near the Eagles offensive linemen’s lockers
“We all want to see each other shine and thrive,” Barkley said. “Those 2,000 yards, I can’t do it without the guys up front. It might hurt my pockets a little bit, but I’m definitely going to make sure I take care of those guys.”
Last week, Barkley teamed up with Jalen Hurts to give personalized golf carts to all of the linemen. Then on Sunday, after a slow start, he ran through the openings they created for him as the Eagles pulled away in the second half and made history.
“It’s awesome,” Johnson said. “It’s something that you don’t really aim for at the beginning of the year. You see where the momentum takes you.”
The momentum shifted after the Eagles’ Week 4 bye week, and after Johnson, Mailata, and Landon Dickerson went to Sirianni to implore the coach to help the Eagles get back to their running ways. Barkley and the running game have been brilliant ever since. He set the Eagles’ single-season record during a Dec. 8 victory over Carolina. Next up was the 2,000-yard mark, and now Dickerson’s number is in sight.
Dickerson has repeatedly said that he’d like his record to stand. “If you had a record, would you want me to break your record?” Barkley said when asked about Dickerson’s comments. But Barkley was also asked about the significance of hitting 2,000 in 16 games now that the league plays 17 regular-season contests. That number has been at the heart of the debate.
“If that’s the case, then O.J.’s got the record,” Barkley said. “O.J. did it in 14 games. We really don’t speak about that, but in reality he rushed for 2,000 in 14 games. ED, it took him 15 to do it. If anything, why are we really having this conversation?
“The way football is right now, it’s kind of hard to rush for 2,000 yards in 14 games. Whether it’s 16, whether it’s 17, it’s a feat that you can never take away from what I was able to do with the O-line. Only eight other players have done it. It’s a special moment.”