Saquon Barkley Sets NFL Rushing Season Record (Including Playoffs) En Route To Super Bowl Win

Philadelphia Eagles running back surpasses 2,500 yards, surpassing Terrell Davis' 1998 record of 2,476 yards.

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley has set a record for rushing yards in a season (including the playoffs) as his team emerged victorious in this year’s Super Bowl.

According to NFL.com, on Barkley’s 28th birthday, he had more to celebrate than the Eagles’ second Super Bowl win. He also broke NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Davis‘ record for having the most rushing yards in a complete season (meaning the regular season and the playoffs). With the 40-22 blowout win over last year’s Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, by the end of the contest, Barkley had amassed 2,504 yards. He surpassed Davis’ 1998 record of 2,476 yards.

He keeps making history‼️

Saquon Barkley now holds the NFL record for most rushing yards in a season, including playoffs. pic.twitter.com/kf02PLYbRK

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) February 10, 2025

The most rushing yards in a single NFL season wasn’t the only record he broke. He also became the first NFL player to record over 2,500 rushing yards in a season, including the playoffs. He is the third player to lead the NFL in rushing and win the Super Bowl in the same season. The other two are Davis and the Dallas Cowboys’ Emmitt Smith.

Barkley, who signed with the Eagles in free agency last offseason, played for the team’s rivals, the New York Giants, who drafted him into the league. The Bronx-born running back was drafted in 2018 by the New York team with the second overall pick. Although he has broken those records, the Lombardi Trophy (given to the winners of the Super Bowl) was what he wanted to capture.

“Hell of a year,” Barkley said. “I couldn’t do it without the big boys up front, everyone on this team. I just appreciate them, the whole Eagles organization. Me being a newcomer, welcomed me in with open arms and helping build confidence back in me, too. That was definitely helpful. It was a hell of a year, but all of the numbers and stats are cool, but the best thing is being able to hold that Lombardi Trophy.”

Barkley had a chance to break the regular-season rushing record (held by Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson), but the Eagles coach, Nick Sirianni, did not allow him to play the last game of the season. Sirianni cited the chance of Barkley getting injured in a game that did not have any input into the team’s ranking going into the playoffs.

In the 16 games Barkley played in, he rushed for 2,005 yards. Dickerson’s season record was 2,105 yards, which he accomplished in 16 games (1984). Dickerson broke Hall of Famer O.J. Simpson’s single-season rushing record of 2,003 years, which O.J. did in 15 games (1973).

“It’s cool,” Barkley said. “To be honest, the most important thing was winning the Super Bowl. Because if we didn’t win today, all those accolades and all those yards wouldn’t mean anything. So, it’s cool. I don’t want to downplay it because I couldn’t do it without the boys up front, and I know how much that means to them. For me, thankful, couldn’t do it without God, but I like that Lombardi Trophy a little bit more.”