Comparing 2012 Adrian Peterson to 2024 Saquon Barkley

Barkley is on pace to break the NFL single season rushing record, albeit with one more game.

Adrian Peterson and Saquon Barkley / © Brace Hemmelgarn, © Eric Hartline both via Imagn Images

Which is better: 2012 Adrian Peterson or 2024 Saquon Barkley?

Peterson won the NFL MVP award after leading the Christian Ponder-quarterbacked Vikings to the playoffs with an historic season in which he rushed for 2,097 yards. What made Peterson's season even more remarkable was that he was less than a year removed from a torn ACL in his left knee.

Through 11 games this year, Barkley leads the NFL with 1,392 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. He also has 27 receptions for 257 yards and two touchdowns. Add it all up and he's roasted defenses for 1,649 total yards and 12 TDs, highlighted by 302 and 2 on Sunday night against the Rams.

How does that compare to Peterson through 11 games in 2012?

Through 11 games	Rush yards	Receiving yards	Total TD
2012 Adrian Peterson	1,236	185	7
2024 Saquon Barkley	1,392	257	12

Peterson had 1,236 rushing yards and seven touchdowns in the first 11 games of 2012, in addition to 36 receptions for 185 yards and no touchdowns. Combined, that's 1,421 total yards.

Peterson averaged 83.1 rushing yards over the first six games of the season before exploding the final 10 games with an average of 159.8 rushing yards per game.

Barkley averaged just 96.4 rushing yards in the first five games for Philly but has since averaged 151.6 yards over the past six games.

Barkley is on pace for 2,151 rush yards and 2,548 total yards. That would break the NFL record for total rushing/receiving yards in a season, set by former Titans running back Chris Johnson when he racked up 2,509 total yards in 2009.

That said, Barkley's 16-game pace is 2,024 rushing yards, which would be 73 yards short of Peterson's final tally in 2012. If Peterson had a 17th regular-season game a dozen years ago, his pace would've put him at a remarkable 2,228 rushing yards.

Barkley is also on pace to break the single-season rushing record (2,105 yards) set by Eric Dickerson in 1984, though Dickerson also did it in 16 games. If Dickerson would've had a 17th game, he was pacing for 2,236 yards.

The NFL record for all-purpose yards in a single season, which includes kick and punt returns, was set by Saints do-it-all player Darren Sproles with 2,696 yards in 2011.