Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
In 1984, Dickerson topped 100 yards rushing 12 times to break O.J. Simpson’s 1973 record with Buffalo of 2,003 yards rushing in a single season. Dickerson needed 379 carries to set the record, while Barkley had 345 carries this season.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Still, Barkley accepts the decision and is more invested in being available to help his team win in the playoffs.
“He asked me if I wanted to play if I wanted to go for, I said, on Sunday, I probably didn’t care too much for it. When I slept on it it was like, it’s an opportunity to implant my name in football history. I may never get another opportunity like that again. So I’m down, but in the end of the day, I don’t care if we’re putting the team at risk,” Barkley said.
NFL TEAMS DOING ‘EXTENSIVE HOMEWORK’ ON JON GRUDEN SINCE CONTROVERSIAL EMAILS AS OFFSEASON APPROACHES: REPORT
Barkley, with 2,005 rushing yards this year, is 100 shy of Eric Dickerson’s record for the most rushing yards in a single season. Dickerson broke the record with 2,105 yards for the Los Angeles Rams in 1984.
“At the end of the day, the most important thing is winning football games and winning in the playoffs, and I have a bigger goal in mind,” Barkley said.