Chris Russo makes Derrick Henry argument while questioning Saquon Barkley’s pedigree as the GOAT RB

Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles are set to play the Kansas City Chiefs soon at the Super Bowl LIX.

Chris Russo makes Derrick Henry argument while questioning Saquon Barkley’s pedigree as the GOAT RB

Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, Chris Russo (Images via Imago/Radio HOF)

Chris Russo reportedly claimed that the Baltimore Ravens rusher Derrick Henry had a better career at the moment than the Philadelphia Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley. Barkley and Henry finished the season as the first and second in the league in rushing yards this season.

In the past season, Barkley and Henry had a close fight after both made moves from previous organizations. Henry left the Tennessee Titans while Barkley was dismissed by the New York Giants, a move that both teams have looked back on to regret. The offseason move has deeply impacted Barkley’s career as he is now able to shine similar to the expectations set out of Penn State into the NFL. His Eagles will play the Kansas City Chiefs on February 9th at the Caesers Superdome in NOLA.

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Amid Saquon Barkley’s historic run into the Super Bowl with three 100-yard-plus performances in the playoffs, Chris Russo asked fans and critics to take it easy on calling Barkley an all-time best running back.

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Derrick Henry’s had a better career at this moment than [Saquon] Barkley’s had, and I love Derrick Henry and Barkley’s special, don’t get me wrong. if you look at their careers to date, currently Henry’s had a better career.

Chris Russo said on First Take

Chris Russo expressed that Barkley, despite his numbers this season, is not at the greatest-of-all-time status. He pointed out that Jim Brown had five seasons as the league’s leading rusher from 1957 to 1962 with the Cleveland Browns.

Jim Brown after a hiatus in 1963 added three more consecutive seasons as the league’s leading rusher. Brown registered 1,863 rushing yards in just 14 games in the 1963 season. Barry Sanders, OJ Simpson, Eric Dickerson, Emmitt Smith, and Steve Van Buren also have four seasons as the league’s top rushing leader. In fact, Derrick Henry had two consecutive seasons with 1,540 and 2,040 yards to finish as the league leader.

Saquon Barkley needs just 30 yards to set single-season rushing yards including post-season

Terrell Davis set the record for most rushing yards in a single season including playoffs with 2,476 yards in 1998. Barkley needs just 30 yards to surpass that and 53 yards to become the first player in NFL history to reach 2,500 rushing yards in a season, counting playoffs.

Saquon Barkley
Saquon Barkley (Image via NBC News)

Additionally, Davis holds the record for most yards from scrimmage in a season (including playoffs) with 2,762. Barkley is just two yards shy of that total, sitting at 2,760 with one game remaining. With a strong performance, he’s on track to become the first player ever to surpass 2,800 total yards in a season—a feat only one other player has even come close to, with 2,686.

Barkley had a solid chance to set an iconic NFL record in the Eagles’ season finale, entering the game exactly 100 yards shy of Eric Dickerson’s long-standing single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards from 1984. While Barkley admitted he wanted the opportunity, he ultimately supported head coach Nick Sirianni’s decision to rest the starters in Week 18, via NBC Sports Philadelphia.

“We didn’t come here, and I didn’t sign here to break Eric Dickerson’s record. We came here to win a Super Bowl,” Barkley quipped. As the days inch closer, Saquon Barkley could one-up Derrick Henry by acquiring a Super Bowl ring which Henry is still shy of.

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