Two of the best offseason acquisitions for the 2024 NFL season have been Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley. The two veteran running backs have powered the Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles, respectively, with each garnering MVP hype throughout the season.
Entering their Week 13 matchup, let’s break down Henry and Barkley’s seasons to date.
Derrick Henry
Entering Week 13, Henry has compiled:
- 1,325 rush yards
- 1,421 scrimmage yards
- 13 rush touchdowns
- 15 scrimmage touchdowns
His 15 scrimmage touchdowns and 13 rushing scores both lead the NFL. He also ranks second in both rushing yards and scrimmage yards behind Barkley.
Henry scored in each of his first 11 games with Baltimore, with the streak coming to an end on Monday Night Football vs. the Los Angeles Chargers. Even in that game, Henry had 140 rushing yards, his sixth 100-yard rushing game of the season.
Henry was the first player to score in each of his first 11 games with a team since the 1970 merger. It was also the longest touchdown streak overall in Ravens franchise history.
Henry’s next touchdown will also set the single-season Ravens record. He’s currently tied with 2019 Mark Ingram and 2011 Ray Rice, both of whom also scored 15 touchdowns.
Saquon Barkley
Entering Week 13, Barkley has compiled:
- 1,392 rush yards
- 1,649 scrimmage yards
- 10 rush touchdowns
- 12 scrimmage touchdowns
Barkley leads the league in both scrimmage and rushing yards; only Henry has accounted for more scrimmage touchdowns. If he can hold off Henry, Barkley would join LeSean McCoy (2013) and Steve Van Buren (four times) as the only Eagles to win the rushing title.
Saquon Barkley & Derrick Henry are the two best running backs in the NFL, & today their teams face off. @saquon has always admired @KingHenry_2 & knows that he’s showing the entire football world that “age ain’t nothing but a number” for Running backs.
The @Eagles star ball… pic.twitter.com/65HXfUesWx
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) December 1, 2024
Barkley enters their Week 13 showdown on a tear, having recorded a franchise-record 302 scrimmage yards in Philadelphia’s last game vs. the Los Angeles Rams.
Overall, Eric Dickerson is the only player since the 1970 merger to record more scrimmage yards in his first 11 games with a team than Barkley.
Much like Henry, Barkley is on the verge of breaking some Eagles’ franchise records. He’s 216 rushing yards away from setting McCoy’s single-season record (1,607) and 498 scrimmage yards away (2,146) from passing McCoy in that category as well.
Breaking Down the NFL Rushing Leaders
Here are the top five rushing-yardage leaders for the 2024 season entering the weekend of Week 13.
- Saquon Barkley: 1,392 yards
- Derrick Henry: 1,325 yards
- Josh Jacobs: 987 yards
- Jahmyr Gibbs: 973 yards
- Chuba Hubbard: 876 yards