Most rushing yards in an NFL game: Where Saquon Barkley’s performance vs. Rams ranks on all-time list

Saquon Barkley had the best game of his career in Week 12 against the Rams. In what ended up as a historic night for a player in an Eagles jersey, the running back finished with 255 rushing yards and 47 receiving yards to go along with two rushing touchdowns. 

In his first season with Philadelphia, it took Barkley 11 games to set the franchise’s all-time record for rushing yards in a game (255) and overall scrimmage yards (302). The former New York Giant set career highs in both metrics and did it impressively. Barkley broke off two 70+ yard touchdown runs and helped Philly cruise to a 37-20 victory over the Rams. 

Here is where Barkley’s performance ranks all-time. 

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Saquon Barkley career-high vs. Rams

The NFL’s MVP Award has turned into a quarterback award, but Barkley is doing his best to force his name into the conversation. The running back has 500 scrimmage yards over his last two games, which has only been done twice in NFL history, per Adam Schefter. Hall of Famers Walter Payton (1977) and Ollie Matson (1954) are the only other players with at least 500 scrimmage yards in a two-game period.

Barkley had 73 rushing yards and 16 receiving yards in the first half. He started the second half with a bang, weaving through the defense and finding space for the 70-yard score. 

SAQUON. PERIOD.

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Backup running back Kenneth Gainwell had a 13-yard score to end the third quarter to push the Eagles’ lead to 13 at the time.  With how much work Barkley already had, there was a chance that he would be limited the rest of the game. That didn’t happen, as with 2:44 left in the game, the starting running back cut left and through the defense for another long score. 

WOW SAQUON WOW pic.twitter.com/DliVWBTUVn

— NFL (@NFL) November 25, 2024

It marked the most rushing yards of Barkley’s NFL career. His previous high came in 2019, when Barkley rushed for 189 yards against Washington. In addition to those two games, Barkley has five other contests in which he’s rushed for at least 150 yards.

Saquon Barkley final stats vs. Rams

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Most rushing yards in an NFL game

Barkley’s explosive performance in Week 12 secured him a top 10 spot among the most rushing yards in a single game in NFL history.