Factoid

December 11, 2016

LeVeon Bell

Big games for running backs tend to come late in the year

LeVeon Bell ran for 236 yards on Sunday, and we should not be surprised. Those kind of big days for running backs are more likely to occur late in the season.

I’m not sure if this is because of weather (which could have been a contributing factor today). Or perhaps good teams tend to get better (and bad teams tend to get worse) as they figure out who they are. Injuries could be a factor. And with offenses, they can benefit when their offensive lines and running backs get their timing down.

But however you slice it, these kind of games become a lot more common late in the year.

Since 2000, there have been 75 games where running backs went for 200-plus yards. It’s happened only 10 times in Weeks 1-4. But it’s happened 31 times in the final four weeks of the season.

200-YARD RUSHERS SINCE 2000
Year	Wk	Player	Opponent	Att	Yds	Avg	TD
2010	1	Arian Foster, HOU	IND W 34-24	33	231	7.0	3
2000	1	Duce Staley, PHI	at DAL W 41-14	26	201	7.7	1
2008	1	Michael Turner, ATL	DET W 34-21	22	220	10.0	2
2009	2	Frank Gore, SF	SEA W 23-10	16	207	12.9	2
2003	2	Jamal Lewis, BAL	CLE W 33-13	30	295	9.8	2
2007	2	Jamal Lewis, CLE	CIN W 51-45	27	216	8.0	1
2012	3	Jamaal Charles, KC	at NO W 27-24	33	233	7.1	1
2000	4	Charlie Garner, SF	at DAL W 41-24	36	201	5.6	1
2002	4	LaDainian Tomlinson, SD	NE W 21-14	27	217	8.0	2
2011	4	Matt Forte, CHI	CAR W 34-29	25	205	8.2	1
2012	5	Ahmad Bradshaw, NYG	CLE W 41-27	30	200	6.7	1
2016	6	Jay Ajayi, MIA	PIT W 30-15	25	204	8.2	2
2007	6	Adrian Peterson, MIN	at CHI W 34-31	20	224	11.2	3
2009	6	Thomas Jones, NYJ	BUF L 13-16	22	210	9.5	1
2016	7	Jay Ajayi, MIA	BUF W 28-25	28	214	7.6	1
2011	7	DeMarco Murray, DAL	STL W 34-7	25	253	10.1	1
2000	7	Edgerrin James, IND	at SEA W 37-24	38	219	5.8	3
2003	7	LaDainian Tomlinson, SD	at CLE W 26-20	26	200	7.7	1
2000	7	Marshall Faulk, STL	ATL W 45-29	25	208	8.3	1
2009	8	Chris Johnson, TEN	JAC W 30-13	24	228	9.5	2
2000	8	Corey Dillon, CIN	DEN W 31-21	22	278	12.6	2
2005	8	Tiki Barber, NYG	WAS W 36-0	24	206	8.6	1
2007	9	Adrian Peterson, MIN	SD W 35-17	30	296	9.9	3
2012	9	Doug Martin, TB	at OAK W 42-32	25	251	10.0	4
2001	9	Shaun Alexander, SEA	OAK W 34-27	35	266	7.6	3
2015	10	Adrian Peterson, MIN	at OAK W 30-14	26	203	7.8	1
2006	10	Willie Parker, PIT	NO W 38-31	22	213	9.7	2
2015	11	Doug Martin, TB	at PHI W 45-17	27	235	8.7	0
2004	11	Edgerrin James, IND	at CHI W 41-10	23	204	8.9	1
2006	11	Frank Gore, SF	SEA W 20-14	24	212	8.8	0
2014	11	Jonas Gray, NE	at IND W 42-20	37	201	5.4	4
2005	11	Larry Johnson, KC	at HOU W 45-17	36	211	5.9	2
2014	11	LeVeon Bell, PIT	at TEN W 27-24	33	204	6.2	1
2015	11	Thomas Rawls, SEA	SF W 29-13	30	209	7.0	1
2011	12	Beanie Wells, ARI	at STL W 23-20	27	228	8.4	1
2000	12	Fred Taylor, JAC	at PIT W 34-24	30	234	7.8	3
2013	12	Knowshon Moreno, DEN	at NE L 31-34	37	224	6.1	1
2004	12	Rudi Johnson, CIN	CLE W 58-48	26	202	7.8	2
2006	12	Shaun Alexander, SEA	GB W 34-24	40	201	5.0	0
2012	13	Adrian Peterson, MIN	at GB L 14-23	21	210	10.0	1
2013	13	Adrian Peterson, MIN	CHI W 23-20	35	211	6.0	0
2002	13	LaDainian Tomlinson, SD	DEN W 30-27	37	220	5.9	3
2011	13	Ray Rice, BAL	at CLE W 24-10	29	204	7.0	1
2002	13	Ricky Williams, MIA	at BUF L 21-38	27	228	8.4	2
2016	14	LeVeon Bell, PIT	at BUF W 27-20	38	236	6.2	3
2003	14	Clinton Portis, DEN	KC W 45-27	22	218	9.9	5
2000	14	Corey Dillon, CIN	ARI W 24-13	35	216	6.2	1
2000	14	Curtis Martin, NYJ	IND W 27-17	30	203	6.8	1
2013	14	LeSean McCoy, PHI	DET W 34-20	29	217	7.5	2
2000	14	Mike Anderson, DEN	at NO W 38-23	37	251	6.8	4
2002	14	Ricky Williams, MIA	CHI W 27-9	31	216	7.0	2
2000	14	Warrick Dunn, TB	DAL W 27-7	22	210	9.5	2
2006	14	Willie Parker, PIT	CLE W 27-7	32	223	7.0	1
2012	15	Adrian Peterson, MIN	at STL W 36-22	24	212	8.8	1
2009	15	Jerome Harrison, CLE	at KC W 41-34	34	286	8.4	3
2001	15	Marshall Faulk, STL	at CAR W 38-32	30	202	6.7	2
2011	15	Reggie Bush, MIA	at BUF W 30-23	25	203	8.1	1
2005	15	Tiki Barber, NYG	KC W 27-17	29	220	7.6	2
2008	16	Derrick Ward, NYG	CAR W 34-28	15	215	14.3	0
2012	16	Jamaal Charles, KC	IND L 13-20	22	226	10.3	1
2003	16	Jamal Lewis, BAL	at CLE W 35-0	22	205	9.3	2
2009	16	Jonathan Stewart, CAR	at NYG W 41-9	28	206	7.4	1
2003	17	Ahman Green, GB	DEN W 31-3	20	218	10.9	2
2012	17	Alfred Morris, WAS	DAL W 28-18	33	200	6.1	3
2002	17	Clinton Portis, DEN	ARI W 37-7	24	228	9.5	2
2012	17	DeAngelo Williams, CAR	at NO W 44-38	21	210	10.0	2
2009	17	Fred Jackson, BUF	IND W 30-7	33	212	6.4	0
2009	17	Jamaal Charles, KC	at DEN W 44-24	25	259	10.4	2
2003	17	LaDainian Tomlinson, SD	OAK W 21-14	31	243	7.8	2
2005	17	Larry Johnson, KC	CIN W 37-3	26	201	7.7	3
2000	17	Marshall Faulk, STL	at NO W 26-21	32	220	6.9	2
2008	17	Michael Turner, ATL	STL W 31-27	25	208	8.3	1
2006	17	Tiki Barber, NYG	at WAS W 34-28	23	234	10.2	3
2005	17	Tiki Barber, NYG	at OAK W 30-21	28	203	7.3	1
2002	17	Tiki Barber, NYG	PHI W 10-7	32	203	6.3	0

—Ian Allan

LeVeon Bell

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