Not every record is intended to be broken.

Take it from Eric Dickerson, who feels reminiscent of 1984 as Saquon Barkley approaches his NFL record for single-season rushing yards of 2,105. The talented running back from the Philadelphia Eagles rushed a career-high 31 times for 167 yards on Sunday, surpassing the 2,000-yard mark.

This season, Barkley has accumulated 2,005 yards on 345 carries, placing him just 101 yards shy of breaking Dickerson’s record, which has stood for four decades.

“Those who say, ‘records are meant to be broken,’ obviously don’t have one,” Dickerson expressed to YSL News Sports on Sunday, following Barkley’s 11th 100-yard game of the season against the Dallas Cowboys.

“You don’t just want to give them up. Whether it’s a bowling record with 30 strikes in a row or the fastest mile ever, you desire to keep those titles. They are remarkable achievements, and my record has been held for 40 years now.”

Don’t fault Dickerson, now 64, for wanting to safeguard such a pivotal part of his NFL history. He has every right to do so, especially after a career that left him with chronic pain from injuries that make restful nights challenging.

So, if he appears protective over his record, it’s justified.

However, the realities remain unchanged. There’s an intriguing scenario ahead, as Barkley could potentially surpass the record in next week’s regular-season finale against the New York Giants. Notably, Barkley spent his first six NFL seasons with the Giants, who allowed him to walk as a free agent last offseason. This decision happened when team executives, led by general manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll, opted for a four-year, $160 million contract for quarterback Daniel Jones instead of securing Barkley with a long-term deal.

Following Philadelphia’s (13-2) dominant 41-7 victory that secured the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs on Sunday, it’s uncertain how much Barkley will play in a Week 18 game that has no playoff implications.

Still, Dickerson isn’t the only one amused by the thought of Barkley breaking the record against the Giants.

“When he joined the Giants, I predicted he wouldn’t reach his full potential with them,” Dickerson noted, recalling Barkley’s selection as the second overall pick in the 2018 draft. “I recognized their flaws. I felt sorry for him.

“Their decision to let him join a rival team proves their poor judgment. Whoever made that choice should be questioned. It was simply foolish.”

While Dickerson hopes to see his 1984 record endure, he clearly supports Barkley’s journey. He finds comfort in having set his record during a 16-game season, surpassing the previous record of 2,003 yards, held by O.J. Simpson in a 14-game season back in 1973. Dickerson achieved this feat in what was then the 15^th game, without a bye week. In contrast, Barkley could break this record in 17 games.

In Dickerson’s opinion, there shouldn’t be any asterisks attached. After all, Barkley is merely the ninth player in history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season.

“That’s just how football goes,” Dickerson stated. “Nothing takes away from his achievement. Reaching 2,000 yards is no easy task. I thought I could do it multiple times, came close, but never succeeded again. Everything needs to align perfectly – the right team, the right quarterback. Luckily for him, he has someone like Jalen Hurts. I didn’t have a Jalen Hurts; my advantage was a great offensive line.”

Reflecting on the day he broke Simpson’s record, Dickerson remembers the Rams playing against the 3-11 Houston Oilers at Anaheim Stadium, needing 214 yards for the milestone – ultimately finishing with a season-high 215 yards.

“I initially thought I’d get 140 or 150 against Houston, then break the record the next week against the San Francisco 49ers,” he recalled. “That game got intense. I had a confrontation with Keith Bostic.

“I told him, ‘I’m breaking this record against you all today!’ I wasn’t vocal as a player, but I really rallied the offensive line. I was determined, and we started running the ball hard.”

Once the record was achieved, Rams coach John Robinson took Dickerson out of the game with about five minutes remaining.

Interestingly, even with nothing at stake in Week 16, as they were already set for a home wild-card game, Dickerson played against the 49ers and gained 98 yards.

Now, decades later, Barkley is just a step away – likely to Dickerson’s dismay.

With Barkley so close to the record, has Dickerson eased his stance on wanting to retain ownership of it?

“Not in any way!” Dickerson asserted. “That makes no logical sense. Just as I’ve said, I don’t want anyone breaking my record. He mentioned that if he breaks it, he wouldn’t want anyone else to break his. I completely understand.”

Interestingly, there is one individual Dickerson would be thrilled to see break his record: his 12-year-old son, Dallis.

Dallis has yet to play tackle football but is a running back on his flag football team.

“Last year, he asked his mom, ‘What’s that record my dad had?’”

2,105.

“He said, ‘I want to break that record one day.’”

“I’m not sure if he’ll pursue pro football, but if he does, I would love to see him break it,” Dickerson expressed.

However, there’s another record that Dickerson believes will be far more challenging to surpass. In 1983, he set the NFL’s rookie rushing record with an impressive 1,808 yards.

He predicted it would be “nearly impossible to break.” “I never expected them to structure the offense around me as a rookie. That’s just not something that usually happens for newcomers. Furthermore, they typically don’t focus on rushing the ball with rookies either.”

Perhaps that’s a record destined to remain unbroken.