NFL Week 12 Overreactions
Mackenzie Salmon breaks down NFL week 12 wildest games.
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The Philadelphia Eagles made a big investment when they signed Saquon Barkley to a three-year deal during the 2024 NFL offseason. Thus far, the move has paid off in a big way.
Barkley entered the team’s “Sunday Night Football” meeting with the Los Angeles Rams among the league leaders in rushing yards.
He exits it on pace to break Eric Dickerson’s decades-long single-season rushing record after enjoying a massive outing in Los Angeles.
Here’s what to know about Barkley’s personal-best outing against the Rams and the record-breaking pace he is on during his debut season in Philadelphia.
Barkley had the most productive game of his NFL career on Sunday night. He logged a career-high 255 rushing yards on 26 carries and added 47 receiving yards on four catches in the 37-20 Eagles win.
Barkley was productive from the jump against the Rams. He repeatedly ripped off solid gains during the first half, averaging 5.6 yards per carry in the first half and keeping Philadelphia’s offense on a consistent schedule against Los Angeles’ opportunistic defense.
On the first play of the second half, Barkley nearly doubled his first half production. He took the opening carry 70 yards for a score, following great blocking from the right side of his offensive line and Landon Dickerson into space. He wasn’t touched en route to the end-zone.
Barkley continued to be an explosive playmaker from there. He logged a 31-yard catch on a third-and-10 that set up a 13-yard Kenneth Gainwell touchdown before punctuating his career-best night with a 72-yard touchdown run to seal the game.
Barkley’s personal-best rushing performance came just over a month after he nearly eclipsed it against the New York Giants. In that contest, Barkley opted to bow out of the 28-3 blowout to allow his teammates to get work rather than chase the record.
In the closer 37-20 contest with the Rams, Barkley remained in and managed to clear his record, originally set against Washington in 2019. He also beat his previous career-high of 279 scrimmage yards from that outing, replacing it with his 302-yard total on Sunday night.
Barkley’s 255 rushing yards were the ninth-most in a single game in NFL history, and the most by an NFL player since Jonathan Taylor’s 253-yard outing against the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021.
Below is a full look at the NFL’s single-game rushing leaders:
Barkley has accounted for 1,392 rushing yards in 2024. That ranks No. 1 in the NFL, though it’s worth noting that the NFL’s No. 2 rusher, Derrick Henry, hasn’t yet played his Week 12 game.
That said, Barkley has already had his bye while Henry has not. As such, Barkley remains on pace to lead the league in rushing yards during his first season with the Eagles.
Eric Dickerson still owns the NFL record for most rushing yards in a single season. He ran for 2,104 yards during the 1984 NFL season.
Only eight NFL players have logged more than 2,000 rushing yards in a single season:
Barkley is currently on pace to record 2,151 rushing yards during the 2024 NFL season. That would allow him to overtake Dickerson and break the NFL record.
Barkley doesn’t have much room for error, but if he can stay healthy, he might have a chance to make NFL history in his first year with the Eagles — whether it’s by breaking the NFL rushing record or challenging for 2,000 yards on the ground.
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