Running backs take a beating while being fed the ball. The best of the best get stronger as the season and games get longer and deeper. Paying tribute to the league leaders since 2000.
19. 2017: Kareem Hunt
Kareem Hunt won the rushing title in 2017 as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs. Midway through the next season, he was gone from the team and in trouble with the league office. Hunt won’t be winning any crowns this year as he has to sit out a league-mandated eight-game ban. In his league-leading season, Hunt surprised everyone by rushing for 1,327 yards — a 4.9 clip — with a long of 69 and eight TDs.
18. 2018: Ezekiel Elliott
After missing out on the title in 2017, mainly because was saddled with a six-game suspension, the Dallas Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott returned to the top with a 1,434-yard season. He only had six rushing TDs but did average 4.7 yards per carry with a long of 41
17. 2015: Adrian Peterson
Adrian Peterson won his third rushing title with a 1,485-yard season. He carried the ball 327 times, had a long gain of 80 and scored 11 TDs for the Vikings.
16. 2008: Adrian Peterson
The first of a trio of rushing titles went to Adrian Peterson in his second season in Minnesota. The Oklahoma great rushed for 1,760 yards, scored a league-leading 18 TDs on the ground and made 81 first downs.
15. 2013: LeSean McCoy
LeSean McCoy took “Fly Eagles Fly” to a new level. The running back from Pitt rushed for 79 first downs while leading the league with 1,607 yards. He carried 314 times, gaining 5.12 yards per sush.
14. 2011: Maurice Jones-Drew
It would be easy to forget Maurice Jones-Drew’s dazzling year for the Jaguars. In his third consecutive 1,000-yard season, the former UCLA star rushed for 1,606 yards and 75 TDs.
13. 2016: Ezekiel Elliott
The Dallas Cowboys were counting on a generational running back when they selected Ezekiel Elliott from Ohio State. He had a powerhouse season in 2016, rushing for 1,631 yards — that better than 100 yards per game. He averaged 5.1 ypc and scored 15 TDs on the ground.
12. 2010: Arian Foster
Arian Foster lit it up for the Texans. The Tennessee star had his first of a quartet of 1,000-yard seasons, rushing for 1,616 yards. He averaged 4.9 yards per carry, scored 16 TDs and notched 89 first downs.
11. 2007: LaDainian Tomlinson
The Chargers’ great LaDainian Tomlinson went back-to-back. He led the league with 1,474 yards and 15 rushing TDs in what were two sterling seasons in an eventual Hall-of-Fame career.
10. 2001: Priest Holmes
This marked the first of three consecutive 300-carry seasons for Priest Holmes with Kansas City. He rushed at a 4.8 ypc carry clip en route to 1,555 yards and 80 first downs.
9. 2000: Edgerrin James
Edgerrin James made it back-to-back rushing titles. The Indianapolis Colts’ star via Miami had 387 carries for 1,709 yards. That put him over 3,200 yards for the past two seasons.
8. 2002: Ricky Williams
Ricky Williams’ NFL career was colorful and controversial. The somewhat enigmatic RB had a wonderful 2002 season, rushing for a career-best 1,853 yards as a Dolphin. After 383 carries, Williams rushed 392 times the next season but saw his production drop by close to 500 yards.
7. 2005: Shaun Alexander
Shaun Alexander had the fifth of five consecutive 1,000-yard seasons when he won the rushing crown. The Seahawks’ star via Alabama rushed for 1,880 yards and 27 TDs. He only played two-plus more seasons after this one.
6. 2009: Chris Johnson
Chris Johnson was the titan of the Tennessee backfield and NFL, rushing for 2,006 yards in his second season. The running back averaged 5.6 ypc, scored 14 TDs and made 79 first downs.
5. 2006: LaDainian Tomlinson
LaDainian Tomlinson won his first rushing crown with a season that saw him rush for 1,815 yards and an amazing 28 touchdowns. Tomlinson averaged 5.2 yards per carry.
4. 2014: DeMarco Murray
Talk about a workhorse, DeMarco Murray earned every bit of the rushing crown. He carried the ball an astounding 392 times while gaining 1,845 yards. Murray’s long run was 57 yards and he scored 13 TDs for Dallas. How about account for 85 first downs on the ground?
3. 2004: Curtis Martin
The classy Hall of Famer Curtis Martin led the league with 1,697 yards in his next to last season. He tied for the league lead with 25 rushing TDs. It was Martin’s 10th straight 1,000-yard season.
2. 2003: Jamal Lewis
Jamal Lewis rushed for 2,066 yards and 84 first downs in Baltimore. He had a long run of 82 yards and scored 14 TDs.
1. 2012: Adrian Peterson
Adrian Peterson picked up the middle of his trifecta of crowns with a fantatic 2,097-yard season. How about gaining 6.1 yards per carry? Peterson scored 12 TDs, averaged 131 yards per game and made 85 first downs.
