NFL Single-Season Rushing Leaders

SI Staff | Dec 24, 2012

NFL Single-Season Rushing Leaders

Eric Dickerson: 2,105 yards

George Rose/Getty Images

One year after breaking the NFL rookie rushing record with 1,808 yards, Eric Dickerson set the single-season record, which has now stood for 28 years.

Adrian Peterson: 2,097 yards

Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Adrian Peterson rushed for 199 yards in the season finale against the Packers, finishing nine yards short of Eric Dickerson's mark.

Jamal Lewis: 2,066 yards

David Maxwell/Getty Images

Jamal Lewis set the single-game rushing record in Week 2 with 295 yards (since broken by Adrian Peterson) and wound up 39 yards shy of the single-season record.

Barry Sanders: 2,053 yards

Fred Jewell/AP

Barry Sanders averaged 6.1 yards per carry and posted 14 consecutive 100-yard games to become the third running back to surpass 2,000 rushing.

Terrell Davis: 2,008 yards

Walter Iooss Jr./SI

Terrell Davis reached 1,000 yards after seven games, scored 23 touchdowns and was named league MVP.

Chris Johnson: 2,006 yards

John Russell/AP

Chris Johnson rushed for 1,410 yards over the final 10 games to become the sixth member of the exclusive 2K club. In the process, he also broke Marshall Faulk's record for total yards from scrimmage with 2,509.

O.J. Simpson: 2,003 yards

John D. Hanlon/SI

O.J. Simpson was the first running back to rush for 2,000 yards, breaking Jim Brown's 10-year-old record of 1,863 yards. Simpson reached the milestone in just 14 games and his 143.1 yards per game remains an NFL record.

Earl Campbell: 1,934 yards

Heinz Kluetmeier/SI

Earl Campbell led the league in rushing for the third consecutive season and rumbled for more than 200 yards in four games, which remains an NFL record.