With every breakaway run, 100-yard performance and multi-touchdown game, Saquon Barkley brought the Philadelphia Eagles closer to Super Bowl LIX.
And each time, Barkley charged closer to NFL history.
It’s no secret Barkley delivered a season for the ages in his first year with Philly, but a closer look at his numbers reveals just how dominant the generational running back has been.
It was less than a year ago that Barkley, 27, joined the Eagles as a free agent, leaving behind a Giants organization that declined to use the 2024 franchise tag on him and failed to sign him long-term.
But Barkley is already one of the most influential players in Eagles history, and all that’s missing from his all-time-great season is a win this Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs in New Orleans.
Here’s a look at Barkley by the numbers:
$37.75 million: That’s how much Barkley’s three-year contract with the Eagles is worth, though incentives and escalators can boost the total value to $46.75 million. The Eagles gave Barkley $26 million in guarantees. It’s looking like a bargain now.
2,005: With 2,005 rushing yards in the regular season, Barkley became the ninth player in NFL history to eclipse 2,000 yards. And he did it 16 games.
101: Barkley was 101 yards away from breaking Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards in 1984, but the Eagles opted to rest him and other starters in an inconsequential Week 18 win over the Giants.
30: Barkley can still make single-season history, though. He is 30 yards away from setting the record for total rushing yards over a regular season and postseason. The current mark belongs to Denver Broncos great Terrell Davis, who totaled 2,476 yards during the 1998 regular season and playoffs.
169: That’s how many yards Barkley would need to run for Sunday to set the single-postseason rushing record. His 442 rushing yards through three games are already the seventh most in one playoff run. The record belongs to Washington’s John Riggins, who rushed for 610 yards during the 1982 postseason.
3: That’s all the yardage Barkley needs from scrimmage Sunday to set the single-season scrimmage-yards record, including the playoffs. He’s totaled 2,760 rushing and receiving yards so far, barely behind Davis’ record of 2,762 in 1998.
2: Barkley is one of two players to rush for 400 yards and five touchdowns in a single postseason. The other is Davis, who achieved the feat during the 1997 playoffs with 581 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.
7: Barkley already set a second with seven rushing touchdowns of 60-plus yards this year, including the playoffs. Three of those runs have come during the postseason.
4: Barkley won NFC Offensive Player of the Week four times during the regular season — eclipsing the three such honors he earned during his six years with the Giants.
101.8: The Chiefs boasted the NFL’s eighth-best run defense in 2024, surrendering only 101.8 yards on the ground per game. That unit has been shakier in the playoffs, however, allowing 148.0 yards per game, albeit in only two games.
147.3: Barkley is averaging just shy of 150 rushing yards per game in these playoffs, up from the 125.3 he averaged during the regular season.
7.9: Two games in a row, Barkley averaged exactly 7.9 yards per carry. He ran for 205 yards on 26 carries against the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round, and 118 yards on 15 carries in the NFC Championship Game against the Washington Commanders.
28: That’s how many years it’s been since a running back won Super Bowl MVP. Davis is the last to receive the honor, doing so in 1998. Only seven running backs have won the award. If the Eagles win, Barkley could very well join this exclusive club.