The sport’s best running backs are on this elite list.
Once upon a time, running the ball was seen because the method to win football games. Turn around, hand it off and pound the rock. That was how games were won.
Mockingly, running the football is back in style, as more defenses gear as much as stop today’s pass-happy offenses. Teams that may run the ball often find success within the win column.
Nobody ran the ball higher than these ten players on this list, each delivering considered one of the best seasons ever by a running back. Listed here are the highest 10 single-season rushing touchdown leaders.
t-5.) Emmitt Smith – 21 – Dallas Cowboys, 1994
Spoiler alert, this isn’t the Hall of Famer’s only appearance on this list, but it surely starts with what Emmitt Smith did the yr after he won the MVP award.
Funny enough, the season he had after winning the distinguished award was even greater. In 1993, Smith helped lead the Dallas Cowboys to a consecutive Super Bowl title, rushing for 1,486 yards and nine touchdowns.
Nevertheless, in 1994 Smith ran for 1,484 yards but exploded for 21 touchdowns, good for fifth most all time. Yet, that wasn’t even a career-high for Smith…
t-5.) Joe Morris – 21 – Latest York Giants, 1985
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In 1985, Joe Morris rushed for 1,336 yards and 21 touchdowns. The fourth-year running back out of Syracuse had a breakout season.
A yr later, he helped the Giants win their first Super Bowl in franchise history. Morris had 50 rushing touchdowns in his profession, meaning 42% of them got here in his breakout campaign in 1985.
A season for the ages for the G-Men.
t-5.) Priest Holmes – 21 – Kansas City Chiefs, 2002
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Like Smith, this isn’t Priest Holmes’ only appearance on this list. The previous Baltimore Ravens star saw his profession take off when he landed in Kansas City as a member of the Chiefs in 2001.
In 4 seasons in Baltimore, Holmes rushed for two,100 yards and 10 touchdowns. In his first season alone, he went for 1,555 yards and eight touchdowns.
By his second season in Kansas City, Holmes had develop into a star. In 2002, he officially put himself on the map as considered one of the league’s best backs by rushing for 1,615 yards and 21 touchdowns. winning Offensive Player of the 12 months.
t-5.) Terrell Davis – 21 – Denver Broncos, 1998
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Terrell Davis played only seven seasons within the NFL, yet he still made it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. That ought to inform you all the pieces it is advisable to find out about what Davis did when he stepped onto the sector.
His best season got here in 1998, when he rushed for two,008 yards and 21 touchdowns. He was named league MVP and Offensive Player of the 12 months, while helping the Broncos win their second straight Super Bowl.
t-5.) Terry Allen – 21 – Washington Redskins, 1996
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The last of the logjam of 21 rushing touchdowns is Terry Allen and his super season in 1996 for the Washington Redskins.
Allen rushed for 1,353 yards and 21 scores while helping the Redskins contend for a playoff spot, but ultimately falling short. Allen only played for 4 seasons in Washington but made essentially the most of his time.
4.) John Riggins – 24 – Washington Redskins, 1983
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One other fellow Washington Redskin checks in on the list at number 4, with 24 rushing touchdowns to his name.
Pro Football Hall of Famer John Riggins, who spent a decade in Washington, helping win Super Bowl XVII over the Miami Dolphins while taking home MVP honors.
Nevertheless, it’s what he did a season later by rushing for 1,347 yards and 24 touchdowns that gets him this high on the list.
3.) Emmitt Smith – 25 – Dallas Cowboys, 1995
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Smith’s second appearance on the list saw him rush for a then-record 25 touchdowns, because the Cowboys went on to win their third Super Bowl in 4 years.
Smith, quarterback Troy Aikman, and wide receiver Michael Irvin formed “The Triplets” that helped thrust Jerry Jones and the Cowboys into football immortality within the Nineties.
They stamped the seal of approval on the mantra “America’s Team” and it was largely led by Smith’s rushing ability, and his 1995 season acting because the major event.
t-2.) Priest Holmes – 27 – Kansas City Chiefs, 2003
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Holmes followed up his 2002 Offensive Player of the 12 months campaign with one other first-team All-Pro yr in 2003.
He rushed for 1,420 yards and set the record on the time for 27 touchdowns on the bottom.
There will not be a greater three-year stretch of running back play than Holmes’ 2001-2003 seasons.
t-2.) Shaun Alexander – 27 – Seattle Seahawks, 2005
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Unfortunately for Holmes, his time sitting on their own at the highest was short lived.
Shaun Alexander burst onto the scene when he got here into the league in 2000 out of Alabama, but it surely wasn’t until 2005 that he cemented his legacy.
Alexander won the MVP award that yr while rushing for 1,half of one mile and tying Holmes’ record of 27 rushing touchdowns. He helped lead the Seahawks all of the method to the Super Bowl, falling just short to the Pittsburgh Steelers (with the assistance of just a few questionable calls).
1.) LaDainian Tomlinson – 28 – San Diego Chargers, 2006
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L.T. stands alone at the highest.
No player in NFL history reached the top zone more in a single season than Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson, who put together a season for the ages in 2006.
Tomlinson scored a record 28 times on the bottom on his method to the MVP award. The San Diego Chargers great was unstoppable. On top of his 28 rushing touchdowns, Tomlinson also ran for 1,815 yards, while catching 56 passes for 518 yards and an extra three touchdowns.
Oh yeah, he also threw for 2 touchdowns.
Who could possibly be next?
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Because the 2025 season gets underway, there are a handful of oldsters that would crack this list. Philadelphia Eagles’ Saquon Barkley and Baltimore Ravens’ Derrick Henry look to be the leading candidates.
Barkley’s career-high on the bottom is 13, so he would have to almost double it to make it on the list. Meanwhile, Henry’s career-high is 17, so he too would have some work to do.
Keep a watch out on Buffalo Bills James Cook and Detroit Lions Jahmyr Gibbs as well. They each had 16 touchdowns on the bottom last yr.