Stats › Running backs: career rushing and receiving statistics
Running backs: career rushing and receiving statistics
Career regular-season totals for the 15 running backs in the game, ranked by rushing yards. The final column divides rushing yards by rushing touchdowns, so a lower number means the back scored more often for his yardage.
| # | Running back | Teams | Rush yards | Rush TD | Receptions | Yards per TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emmitt Smith | DAL / ARI | 18,355 | 164 | 515 | 111.9 |
| 2 | Walter Payton | CHI | 16,726 | 110 | 492 | 152.1 |
| 3 | Barry Sanders | DET | 15,269 | 99 | 352 | 154.2 |
| 4 | Adrian Peterson | MIN / etc. | 14,918 | 120 | 305 | 124.3 |
| 5 | Curtis Martin | NE / NYJ | 14,101 | 90 | 484 | 156.7 |
| 6 | LaDainian Tomlinson | SD / NYJ | 13,684 | 145 | 624 | 94.4 |
| 7 | Jerome Bettis | LARM / PIT | 13,662 | 91 | 200 | 150.1 |
| 8 | Eric Dickerson | LARM / IND / etc. | 13,259 | 90 | 281 | 147.3 |
| 9 | Tony Dorsett | DAL / DEN | 12,739 | 77 | 398 | 165.4 |
| 10 | Marshall Faulk | IND / STL | 12,279 | 100 | 767 | 122.8 |
| 11 | Edgerrin James | IND / ARI / SEA | 12,246 | 80 | 433 | 153.1 |
| 12 | Marcus Allen | LARD / KC | 12,243 | 123 | 587 | 99.5 |
| 13 | Thurman Thomas | BUF / MIA | 12,074 | 65 | 472 | 185.8 |
| 14 | Fred Taylor | JAX / NE | 11,695 | 66 | 290 | 177.2 |
| 15 | Steven Jackson | STL / ATL / etc. | 11,438 | 69 | 442 | 165.8 |
Reading the table
Emmitt Smith leads rushing yards (18,355) and rushing touchdowns (164) by wide margins. Marshall Faulk leads receptions (767) while ranking only 10th in rushing yards. The tightest rushing-yards pair on the ladder is Marcus Allen (12,243) and Edgerrin James (12,246), three yards apart.
LaDainian Tomlinson scored on every 94.4 rushing yards, the best rate, while Thurman Thomas needed 185.8. The gap between those two figures is why rushing yards alone are a poor guide to touchdown questions.