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The first 2,000-yard season was recorded in 1973 by Buffalo Bills running back O. J. Simpson, who is the only player ever to have surpassed 2,000 yards in a 14-game season; all others occurred in 16 or 17-game seasons. Simpson finished with 2,003 rushing yards, averaging six yards per carry and an NFL-record 143.1 rushing yards per game. [4]
First 2,000 yard rushing season: O. J. Simpson, 2,003 rushing yards, Buffalo Bills, 1973 [162] [163] First 2,100 yard rushing season : Eric Dickerson , 2,105 rushing yards, Los Angeles Rams , 1984 First 15 rushing touchdown season : Steve Van Buren , 15 rushing touchdowns, Philadelphia , 1945 [ 164 ]
Since reliable yardage statistics were not recorded prior to 1932, the first NFL player recognized as the career leader in rushing yards was Cliff Battles, who played from 1932 to 1937 for the Boston Braves / Boston Redskins / Washington Redskins. [2] He led the NFL with 576 yards in 1932 and held on to the record throughout his career.
In 1984, Dickerson topped 100 yards rushing 12 times to break Buffalo's O.J. Simpson's 1973 record of 2,003 yards rushing in a single season. Simpson set his record in 14 games before the NFL ...
He averaged 4.4 yards per carry and 82 rushing yards per game that season. As a rookie in 2018, he averaged 5 yards per carry and 81.7 yards per game en route to 1,307 yards on the ground.
With 1,838 yards, the seven-year veteran has to average 133.5 yards in those final two games to seize the all-time mark. Barkley has topped that number in six of his 15 games this season.
Since the adoption of the 14-game season in 1961, all but one rushing champion have recorded over 1,000 yards rushing. Nine rushing champions have recorded over 2,000 rushing yards, a feat first accomplished by O. J. Simpson in 1973 and most recently achieved by Saquan Barkley in the 2024-25 season.
There is not a single active NFL player among the league’s top 50 in career rushing yards, with Frank Gore, Adrian Peterson and LeSean McCoy all unsigned three-plus weeks into the new season ...