Saquon Barkley is currently not expected to play this weekend, what does that mean for his historic season?
Earlier this week, the collective minds of Nick Sirianni and the Philadelphia Eagles coaching staff had quite the decision on their hands. Philly hosts the New York Giants at the Linc in a Week 18 matchup that has no bearing on the NFC Playoff picture. The team is locked into the second seed after Minnesota’s loss to Green Bay this weekend. Our Eagles experts held split opinions when polled on Barkley’s playing status for PSN’s Roundtable Discussion at the beginning of the week.
Sirianni Announces New Year’s Resolution to Sit Starters
On New Year’s Day, Nick Sirianni shut down 99% of the speculation regarding the playing status of starters, including Barkley, during the final week against New York. The Eagles Head Coach said Saquon Barkley “is probably someone that will rest.” Yesterday, an even-keeled Saquon spoke to reporters. “At the end of the day, the most important thing is winning football games, and we’re in the Playoffs.” The 27-year-old running back and the Eagles have “a bigger goal in mind anyway.”
If Saquon Barkley does not play another snap in the 2024 NFL regular season, here is where his all-time Eagles season stacks up against the elite campaigns in the history of the gridiron. Only one running back in the NFL’s 2,000-yard club reached the Super during his memorable campaign. Most saw an early exit from the NFL’s postseason. Therefore, with a Wild Card matchup on the horizon, the practical approach is the smart play call for an Eagles team that has not had a week off since Week 5 in early October.
The all-star running back mentioned to Zach Berman that he didn’t sign with the Birds to break the rushing record, but to win the Super Bowl. He went on to say he knows that Terrell Davis holds the record for most combined rushing yards in the regular season and playoffs (2,476) and will chase that instead.
Top 10 NFL Rushing Seasons (probably)
1) Eric Dickerson (24 years old) – 2,105 yards – 1984 Los Angeles Rams
The all-time NFL rushing season is set to reach its 40th-anniversary date since Dickerson dashed for 2,105 yards in 1984. Los Angeles lost to the New York Giants in the Wild Card, 10-7. Two years later, Dickerson reached 1,821 yards but never came closer to the 2,000-yard total from his record-setting season. Dickerson still owns three of the top 25 NFL rushing seasons in history, including his 1983 rookie season at 24th.
2) Adrian Peterson (27) – 2,097 yards – 2012 Minnesota Vikings
In an instant classic during the final week of 2012, a 27-year-old Peterson rushed for 200 yards, assisting the Vikings to a playoff appearance. Unfortunately for the veteran, the record finished eight short yards away as Vikings kicker Blair Walsh sealed the game with a 29-yard game-winning field goal with three seconds left on the clock. Minnesota traveled to Lambeau Field the following week but lost the rematch in the 2012 Wild Card game, 10-7.
3) Jamal Lewis (24) – 2,066 yards – 2003 Baltimore Ravens
Lewis finished 39 yards off the record following a 114-yard afternoon during a Week 17 matchup against the rival Pittsburgh Steelers. Bizarrely enough, Baltimore lost, 10-7, to the visiting Tennessee Titans in the 2003 Wild Card Round. Lewis reached the 1,000-yard plateau four more times in his career, including twice with the Cleveland Browns in the late 2000s.
4) Barry Sanders (29) – 2,053 – 1997 Detroit Lions
Sanders had the most impressive back-to-back NFL seasons in 1997 and 1998 before shocking the NFL world by retiring at 31 before the 1999 season. Detroit lost 20-10 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1997 Wild Card round. Detroit went 5-11 and missed the postseason in 1998 despite 1,491 yards from their Hall-of-Fame running back in the last season of his career. No other player has reached the 1,400-yard mark following a 2,00-yard rushing year.
5) Derrick Henry (26) – 2,053 yards – 2020 Tennessee Titans
The only active player on this list besides Barkley, Henry’s 2020 season was a memorable rushing effort that ended in a strikingly similar postseason exit. Tennesse lost, 20-13, to the Baltimore Ravens in the 2020 Wild Card round. Four years later and now playing for the Ravens in 2024, Henry posted the 26th-best all-time rushing season with 1,783 yards. Baltimore (11-5) is locked into the 3rd seed in the AFC playoffs behind Kansas City (15-1) and Buffalo (13-3).
6) Terrell Davis (25) – 2,008 yards – 1998 Denver Broncos
Coming off a three-touchdown performance and Super Bowl MVP in 1997, Davis continued to electrify Broncos fans during his follow-up campaign. Davis sprinted for 102 yards as Denver captured back-to-back Super Bowl Championships with a win over Atlanta at Super Bowl XXXIII.
7) Chris Johnson Davis (23) – 2, 006 yards – 2009 Tennessee Titans
Chris Johnson surpassed 2,000 yards to transform into CJ2K during a disappointing 8-8 playoff-missing season for Tennessee in 2009. Johnson owns the 2nd-best follow-up season to a 2,000-yard rushing season with 1,364 yards in 16 games season in 2010 for a worse 6-10 Titans team.
8) Saquon Barkley (27) – 2,005 yards – Philadelphia Eagles
Saquon Barkley’s regular season story finishes here in eighth place all-time if he does not suit up for snaps against New York. At 27, Barkley is tied with Peterson for the second-oldest running back to surpass the 2,000-yard milestone, trailing only Barry Sanders at age 29. The postseason tale is yet to be written. Philadelphia wants to follow the blueprint the Denver Broncos set for postseason celebrations.
9) O.J. Simpson (26) – 2, 003 yards – 1973 Buffalo Bills
The man to set the 2,000-yard bar also missed the postseason that year. The playoffs were limited in 1973, and the Wild Card round did not appear until 1978, when the NFL adopted the 16-game schedule. Despite a 9-5 record, the Bills were left outside in the cold of the postseason field due to a second-place finish in the AFC East behind the 12-2 Miami Dolphins. The Fins dominated the NFL all year, culminating in a victory party after a win in Super Bowl VIII.
10) Earl Campbell (25) – 1, 934 yards – 1980 Houston Oilers
Despite falling short of the 2,000-yard mark, Campbell helped lead Houston to the postseason with an 11-5 record. The Oilers lost, 27-7, to the Oakland Raiders in the Wild Card round – only the second season of that playoff round’s existence. Those Raiders broke the hearts of Philadelphians everywhere with a 27-10 win over the Eagles at Super Bowl XV.
Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
