LeVeon Bell and Jonas Gray had the big games last week, going over 200 rushing yards. And it’s a reminder that those kind of game – huge stats on the ground – tend to come later in the year.
Why this is, I’m not sure. Weather could be a contributing factor. Sometimes it simply gets harder to pass the ball. More important (I think) is the premise that it takes time to develop chemistry of a running game. The timing on blocks needs to be right, and the back has to hit those holes at the right time.
Or it might simply be a deal where beaten, downtrodden teams start tailing off late in the year.
Whatever the reason, if a guy runs for 200 yards in a game, that usually means we’re into November or December.
Since 2000, there have been 69 games where a back has gone over 200. Two thirds of those games (45 of them) have occurred in Weeks 11-17. Only 13 have occurred in Weeks 1-6, and only 11 have occurred in Weeks 7-10.
200 RUSHING YARDS IN WEEKS 1-6 | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Wk | Player | Opp | Att | Yds | Avg | TD |
2010 | 1 | Arian Foster, HOU | v. IND | 33 | 231 | 7.0 | 3 |
2008 | 1 | Michael Turner, ATL | v. DET | 22 | 220 | 10.0 | 2 |
2000 | 1 | Duce Staley, PHI | at DAL | 26 | 201 | 7.7 | 1 |
2003 | 2 | Jamal Lewis, BAL | v. CLE | 30 | 295 | 9.8 | 2 |
2007 | 2 | Jamal Lewis, CLE | v. CIN | 27 | 216 | 8.0 | 1 |
2009 | 2 | Frank Gore, SF | v. SEA | 16 | 207 | 12.9 | 2 |
2012 | 3 | Jamaal Charles, KC | at NO | 33 | 233 | 7.1 | 1 |
2002 | 4 | LaDainian Tomlinson, SD | v. NE | 27 | 217 | 8.0 | 2 |
2011 | 4 | Matt Forte, CHI | v. CAR | 25 | 205 | 8.2 | 1 |
2000 | 4 | Charlie Garner, SF | at DAL | 36 | 201 | 5.6 | 1 |
2012 | 5 | Ahmad Bradshaw, NYG | v. CLE | 30 | 200 | 6.7 | 1 |
2007 | 6 | Adrian Peterson, MIN | at CHI | 20 | 224 | 11.2 | 3 |
2009 | 6 | Thomas Jones, NYJ | v. BUF | 22 | 210 | 9.5 | 1 |
200 RUSHING YARDS IN WEEKS 7-10 | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Wk | Player | Opp | Att | Yds | Avg | TD |
2011 | 7 | DeMarco Murray, DAL | v. STL | 25 | 253 | 10.1 | 1 |
2000 | 7 | Edgerrin James, IND | at SEA | 38 | 219 | 5.8 | 3 |
2000 | 7 | Marshall Faulk, STL | v. ATL | 25 | 208 | 8.3 | 1 |
2003 | 7 | LaDainian Tomlinson, SD | at CLE | 26 | 200 | 7.7 | 1 |
2000 | 8 | Corey Dillon, CIN | v. DEN | 22 | 278 | 12.6 | 2 |
2009 | 8 | Chris Johnson, TEN | v. JAC | 24 | 228 | 9.5 | 2 |
2005 | 8 | Tiki Barber, NYG | v. WAS | 24 | 206 | 8.6 | 1 |
2007 | 9 | Adrian Peterson, MIN | v. SD | 30 | 296 | 9.9 | 3 |
2001 | 9 | Shaun Alexander, SEA | v. OAK | 35 | 266 | 7.6 | 3 |
2012 | 9 | Doug Martin, TB | at OAK | 25 | 251 | 10.0 | 4 |
2006 | 10 | Willie Parker, PIT | v. NO | 22 | 213 | 9.7 | 2 |
200 RUSHING YARDS IN WEEKS 11-17 | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Wk | Player | Opp | Att | Yds | Avg | TD |
2006 | 11 | Frank Gore, SF | v. SEA | 24 | 212 | 8.8 | 0 |
2005 | 11 | Larry Johnson, KC | at HOU | 36 | 211 | 5.9 | 2 |
2004 | 11 | Edgerrin James, IND | at CHI | 23 | 204 | 8.9 | 1 |
2014 | 11 | LeVeon Bell, PITT | at TEN | 33 | 204 | 6.2 | 1 |
2014 | 11 | Jonas Gray, NE | at IND | 37 | 201 | 5.4 | 4 |
2000 | 12 | Fred Taylor, JAC | at PIT | 30 | 234 | 7.8 | 3 |
2011 | 12 | Beanie Wells, ARI | at STL | 27 | 228 | 8.4 | 1 |
2013 | 12 | Knowshon Moreno, DEN | at NE | 37 | 224 | 6.1 | 1 |
2004 | 12 | Rudi Johnson, CIN | v. CLE | 26 | 202 | 7.8 | 2 |
2006 | 12 | Shaun Alexander, SEA | v. GB | 40 | 201 | 5.0 | 0 |
2002 | 13 | Ricky Williams, MIA | at BUF | 27 | 228 | 8.4 | 2 |
2002 | 13 | LaDainian Tomlinson, SD | v. DEN | 37 | 220 | 5.9 | 3 |
2013 | 13 | Adrian Peterson, MIN | v. CHI | 35 | 211 | 6.0 | 0 |
2012 | 13 | Adrian Peterson, MIN | at GB | 21 | 210 | 10.0 | 1 |
2011 | 13 | Ray Rice, BAL | at CLE | 29 | 204 | 7.0 | 1 |
2000 | 14 | Mike Anderson, DEN | at NO | 37 | 251 | 6.8 | 4 |
2006 | 14 | Willie Parker, PIT | v. CLE | 32 | 223 | 7.0 | 1 |
2003 | 14 | Clinton Portis, DEN | v. KC | 22 | 218 | 9.9 | 5 |
2013 | 14 | LeSean McCoy, PHI | v. DET | 29 | 217 | 7.5 | 2 |
2000 | 14 | Corey Dillon, CIN | v. ARI | 35 | 216 | 6.2 | 1 |
2002 | 14 | Ricky Williams, MIA | v. CHI | 31 | 216 | 7.0 | 2 |
2000 | 14 | Warrick Dunn, TB | v. DAL | 22 | 210 | 9.5 | 2 |
2000 | 14 | Curtis Martin, NYJ | v. IND | 30 | 203 | 6.8 | 1 |
2009 | 15 | Jerome Harrison, CLE | at KC | 34 | 286 | 8.4 | 3 |
2005 | 15 | Tiki Barber, NYG | v. KC | 29 | 220 | 7.6 | 2 |
2012 | 15 | Adrian Peterson, MIN | at STL | 24 | 212 | 8.8 | 1 |
2011 | 15 | Reggie Bush, MIA | at BUF | 25 | 203 | 8.1 | 1 |
2001 | 15 | Marshall Faulk, STL | at CAR | 30 | 202 | 6.7 | 2 |
2012 | 16 | Jamaal Charles, KC | v. IND | 22 | 226 | 10.3 | 1 |
2008 | 16 | Derrick Ward, NYG | v. CAR | 15 | 215 | 14.3 | 0 |
2009 | 16 | Jonathan Stewart, CAR | at NYG | 28 | 206 | 7.4 | 1 |
2003 | 16 | Jamal Lewis, BAL | at CLE | 22 | 205 | 9.3 | 2 |
2009 | 17 | Jamaal Charles, KC | at DEN | 25 | 259 | 10.4 | 2 |
2003 | 17 | LaDainian Tomlinson, SD | v. OAK | 31 | 243 | 7.8 | 2 |
2006 | 17 | Tiki Barber, NYG | at WAS | 23 | 234 | 10.2 | 3 |
2002 | 17 | Clinton Portis, DEN | v. ARI | 24 | 228 | 9.5 | 2 |
2000 | 17 | Marshall Faulk, STL | at NO | 32 | 220 | 6.9 | 2 |
2003 | 17 | Ahman Green, GB | v. DEN | 20 | 218 | 10.9 | 2 |
2009 | 17 | Fred Jackson, BUF | v. IND | 33 | 212 | 6.4 | 0 |
2012 | 17 | DeAngelo Williams, CAR | at NO | 21 | 210 | 10.0 | 2 |
2008 | 17 | Michael Turner, ATL | v. STL | 25 | 208 | 8.3 | 1 |
2002 | 17 | Tiki Barber, NYG | v. PHI | 32 | 203 | 6.3 | 0 |
2005 | 17 | Tiki Barber, NYG | at OAK | 28 | 203 | 7.3 | 1 |
2005 | 17 | Larry Johnson, KC | v. CIN | 26 | 201 | 7.7 | 3 |
2012 | 17 | Alfred Morris, WAS | v. DAL | 33 | 200 | 6.1 | 3 |
—Ian Allan