Will Barkley or Henry break season rushing record?

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley. Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Will Saquon Barkley or Derrick Henry break NFL season rushing record?

By Austen Bundy | Last updated Dec 3, 2024 12:57 PM ET

The NFL's single-season rushing record, set by Los Angeles Rams running back Eric Dickerson in 1984, is 2,105 yards.

Several rushers over the past 40 years have come close to breaking it, most notably former Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson in 2012, who came up nine yards short (2,097).

Now, 12 years later, the chase is back on, but this time, two rushers are closing in on the mark with five weeks remaining.

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley and Baltimore Ravens' Derrick Henry eclipsed the 1,400-yard mark on Sunday while facing one another.

Saquon Barkley Derrick Henry

…after each topped 100 yards from scrimmage todaypic.twitter.com/nA43eIUOIp
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) December 2, 2024

ESPN estimates Barkley is on pace for 2,123 total yards, which would beat Dickerson's mark by 18 yards.

According to the Ravens, Henry was on pace to break the record as of October with a projected 2,120 yards. At that point, he averaged 124.7 yards per game and 5.84 yards per carry, ahead of Dickerson's 5.6 yards.

After Sunday, Henry averages just 108.2 yards per game but rushes for 5.9 yards per carry, so the dream isn't dead yet.

But Barkley appears to have the edge after 13 weeks. He's averaging a whopping 124.9 yards per game and 6.1 yards per carry.

Philadelphia is facing the Carolina Panthers in Week 14, so Barkley will have an incredible opportunity to stat pad against the worst defense against the rush.

Granted, the debate over this record will always return to the amount of games played now compared to when it was set.

Dickerson pulled off the feat with only 16 games on the schedule, while Buffalo Bills running back O.J. Simpson, who set the record before him, had a mere 14 games to break the 2,000-yard mark for the first time in league history.

Barkley and Henry will have an extra game to attempt to reach the coveted benchmark, which would be remarkable regardless of how long it takes.

Austen Bundy

Austen Bundy is a journalist and sports junkie from the Washington, D. C. area

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