Doubt at your own risk, Eric Dickerson.
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley is closing in on Dickerson's 1984 rushing record of 2,105 yards with the Los Angeles Rams, but the record holder doesn't think Barkley will finish the job. do not have.
“I don't think he'll break it.” Dickerson saidaccording to the Los Angeles Times. “But if he breaks it, he breaks it.”
The Hall of Famer continued: Absolutely not. I have nothing to say about it. But I'm not whining about it. Did he have 17 games to accomplish that? Hey, football is football. I think so. If he's lucky enough to surpass 2,000 yards, that would be a great record. ”
There's an asterisk there — Barkley, 268 yards behind Dickerson's 2,105, will take away the single-season rushing total in 17 total appearances. Dickerson had 16.
But in the words of the former Ram, soccer is soccer. He, too, was aided in a record-breaking campaign by the steadily expanding NFL schedule.
“O.J. Simpson was my favorite player,” Dickerson told the LA Times. “He went over 2,000 yards in 14 games. It took him 15 games to get to 2,000. He had one more game to play, so… [too]”
Barkley had 1,838 rushing yards in his first 15 weeks of play, but would need to average 134 yards from scrimmage in his final two games to break Dickerson's mark.
His Eagles are scheduled to play the Dallas Cowboys in Week 17, then face Barkley's former team, the New York Football Giants, in Week 18.
If the two-time Pro Bowler beats Dickerson's mark on Jan. 5 against the Giants… let's talk poetry.
Barkley spent the first six seasons of his career hurting in New York, but the team embarrassingly publicly allowed him to walk out as a free agent ahead of the 2024 season.
In his first season wearing Eagles green, Barkley was literally unstoppable.
The running back already has 526 more rushing yards than his previous career high, and BetMGM gives him the third-best odds to win the league MVP award. According to The Athletic.
Barkley topped 100 rushing yards in 10 of 15 games and reached the end zone multiple times in six games. He became the third running back in league history to score four touchdowns of 60 yards or more in the same season.
With Jalen Hurts still in concussion protocol and scheduled to miss the Eagles' Week 17 matchup against the Cowboys, it's plausible that Dallas would stack the box and prioritize defense against the run.
Still, it likely doesn't matter who is under center. Berkeley is booming.
