Eagles’ Saquon Barkley sets combined rushing yards record for single season
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley has set a new single-season rushing yards record for regular season and playoffs combined – on his 28th birthday, no less.
Barkley’s 2-yard run in the second quarter of Super Bowl 59 against the Kansas City Chiefs put him ahead of Pro Football Hall of Famer Terrell Davis’ mark of 2,476 yards, which came in the Denver Broncos’ Super Bowl season of 1998. Barkley finished the game with 57 rushing yards on 25 carries, giving him 2,504 rushing yards combined between the regular season and playoffs.
“It’s special,” Barkley said earlier this week of the opportunity to break the rushing record. “I can’t do it without my teammates. … The record is cool and all, but the main thing is winning the Super Bowl. That’s our mindset.”
The Eagles did go on to win 40-22, in New Orleans.
During Philadelphia’s playoff run, which saw the Eagles reach the Super Bowl for the second time in three seasons, the running back has had two games with multiple touchdowns. Additionally, Barkley has had three postseason rushing touchdowns of at least 60 yards. Since 1994, no other player has had multiple such runs in the playoffs throughout their entire careers, let alone in a single postseason. In this postseason, Barkley rushed for 499 yards and five touchdowns.
This comes on the heels of a magnificent regular season during which Barkley rushed for a league-leading 2,005 yards. Despite having a shot in Week 18 at the regular-season rushing record, currently at 2,105 held by Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson, Barkley sat out the final game of the regular season. He also added 13 rushing touchdowns in his first season with the Eagles after spending six seasons with the New York Giants, a fellow NFC East team. In his time with the Giants, Barkley played in just two playoff games. He has surpassed that in one year with the Eagles with Super Bowl LIX serving as his fourth postseason game of the season.
Barkley was named the AP Offensive Player of the Year on Thursday. Additionally, he was also a first-team All-Pro selection and chosen for his third Pro Bowl this season.
Top six rushing seasons (combined regular season/playoffs):
1. Barkley, Eagles in 2024: 2,504 yards in 20 games
2. Davis, Broncos in 1998: 2,476 yards in 19 games
3. Davis, Broncos in 1997: 2,331 yards in 19 games
4. Dickerson, Los Angeles Rams in 1984: 2,212 yards in 17 games
5. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings in 2012: 2,196 yards in 17 games
6. Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens in 2024: 2,191 yards in 19 games
Kelce breaks record
Despite missing out on another championship ring, Travis Kelce added another accolade to his resume Sunday when he surpassed Jerry Rice for most career Super Bowl receptions in the Chiefs’ loss to the Eagles.
Kelce, 35, logged four receptions for 39 yards to give him 35 total catches through five Super Bowl appearances, passing the Hall of Famer Rice’s mark of 33 receptions in four Super Bowls.
The Super Bowl record comes one year after Kelce surpassed Rice’s career postseason receptions record.
Kelce failed to tally a catch in the first half of Sunday’s lopsided game as the Chiefs quickly fell behind by three-plus scores. But the legendary tight end salvaged his stat line in the second half and broke Rice’s record after hauling in two late third-quarter catches and a 9-yard reception at 7 minutes, 54 seconds into the fourth quarter.
Rice still holds a host of other Super Bowl records, including single-game receiving yards (215), career receiving touchdowns (8) and career receiving yards (589).
With his 39-yard night Sunday, Kelce moved past Lynn Swann and Rob Gronkowski into second place on the career receiving yards list, now sitting at 389.