Will Barkley break Dickerson's single-season rushing record?
Saquon Barkley's stellar season has him in the MVP conversation with the second-best odds (+425), trailing only Josh Allen (-225). He's all but locked up the Offensive Player of the Year award (-550) and has helped the Eagles win eight straight games, including a road victory Sunday over the Ravens as underdogs.
Barkley, the league leader in rushing yards, has been the catalyst for the Eagles' top-five total offense. Relying on Barkley's explosiveness behind a dominant offensive line has served Philadelphia's offense well during its winning streak.
The former Giant has rushed for 1,499 yards through 12 games. He's well on his way to becoming the ninth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards. Derrick Henry was the last player to reach the milestone in 2020.
But could Barkley rewrite history and break Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards set in 1984? The 40-year record has been close to being toppled over the last few decades, but no one has dethroned Dickerson. Granted, the NFL added an extra game to the schedule in 2021, so any challengers have an additional opportunity to reach 2,106 yards.
Barkley is +275 to break the record at ESPN Bet and theScore Bet, giving him a 26% chance of rushing for at least 2,106 yards.
He's 607 yards away from the record with five games remaining, meaning he must rush for 121.4 yards per contest to reach the storied mark. Barkley is averaging 124 rushing yards per game. The good news is that the Eagles' final five opponents rank in the bottom seven in yards per carry allowed.
However, Philadelphia has more important goals than individual accolades and awards. Barkley leads the NFL in carries and has assumed a large workload throughout the season. He's on pace to accumulate the most carries of his career. The Eagles need the seven-year veteran to be healthy and productive in the playoffs. The club will likely try to find him rest opportunities and reduce his workload in the final weeks, especially if it's up big against weak opponents. Three of Philly's final five games are against the lowly Panthers, Cowboys, and Giants.
Although the record is attainable based on Barkley's previous production, oddsmakers believe the superstar rusher will slow down, or the Eagles will take necessary precautions to keep their MVP candidate rested.
Regardless, Barkley's season has been filled with memorable moments and absurd stat lines. Whether it becomes truly historic will be determined in the final few weeks.
Sam Oshtry is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X @soshtry for more betting coverage.