PHILADELPHIA -- Eagles running back Saquon Barkley set a franchise record for single-season rushing yards Sunday in a 22-16 victory over the Carolina Panthers.
Barkley entered the day needing 109 yards to move past LeSean McCoy, who rushed for 1,607 yards in 2013, and finished with 124.
He moved into first place midway through the fourth quarter with a 9-yard gain. Chants of "MVP!" broke out as his achievement was announced in the stadium.
"I think it's pretty cool," Barkley said. "The most important thing was getting the win, and we got a win. But being a fan of Shady's growing up, seeing the spectacular things he was able to do with the ball in his hand, and to be able to have my name mentioned with him definitely means a lot. But credit to the guys up front. They've made my job a lot easier."
Behind that stout offensive line and paired with playmakers like A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, Barkley is enjoying a career year in his first season in Philadelphia. He needed just 12 games to set a personal best in single-season rushing yards and established new highs in single-game rushing yards (255) and yards from scrimmage (302) in Week 12 against the Los Angeles Rams.
Barkley is on pace for 2,122 rushing yards, which would top the all-time single-season rushing mark set by Eric Dickerson in 1984 (2,105).
"I just hugged him. I said congratulations," left tackle Jordan Mailata said. "And then he said, 'Let's go get E.D.'s.'
"Knowing Say for the last six months, I don't think he likes talking about what he's accomplished right now. I think he likes to look at it at the end of the season and see what he's done. I'd say he's proud of himself but at the same time he still wants more, and that's why we love him. He's got high standards, and he wants to break records."
Barkley was named NFC Offensive Player of the Month for November -- the first such honor of his career. He has four NFC Player of the Week honors this season, one more than he had during his entire six-year stint with the New York Giants. Sunday marked the ninth time he hit the 100-plus rushing yards this season, which is the most in Eagles history.
"That's a great accomplishment for him," said quarterback Jalen Hurts of breaking the team's single-season mark. "It's a great moment for him."