Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson are going to be tough quarterbacks to grade next summer. Both are wildly unpolished as passers, but both are putting up rushing production rarely seen at the quarterback position.
I’m talking Vick-Newton-Cunningham type rushing stats.
Both Allen and Jackson started only half of their rookie seasons, but both averaged over 75 rushing yards per game.
Allen also scored the vast majority of Buffalo’s rushing touchdowns – 8 in the 8 games he started. Jackson scored 4 TDs in his seven starts, which is also outstanding.
Using standard fantasy scoring (6 points for TDs and 1 for every 10 yards), Allen and Jackson put up the best per-game rushing numbers of any quarterback in this century who started at least seven games. (Normally, I look at quarterbacks who started at least half of the season, but Jackson came up a game short there).
Since 2000, only 24 quarterbacks have finished with rushing stats (again, per-game numbers) that are half as good as what these two rookies did this year.
On the chart here, you're seeing the number of games each quarterback started, his rushing yards and rushing touchdowns in those games, and his per-game numbers (yards, TD, points). Whatever production these quarterbacks did in other games (off the bench) isn't included.
| BEST RUSHING STATS, QUARTERBACKS | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | St | Yds | TD | YPG | TDPG | Pts/G |
| 2018 | Josh Allen, Buff. | 8 | 605 | 8 | 75.6 | 1.00 | 13.6 |
| 2018 | Lamar Jackson, Balt. | 7 | 556 | 4 | 79.4 | .57 | 11.4 |
| 2010 | Michael Vick, Phil. | 11 | 573 | 9 | 52.1 | .82 | 10.1 |
| 2011 | Cam Newton, Car. | 16 | 706 | 14 | 44.1 | .88 | 9.7 |
| 2011 | Tim Tebow, Den. | 11 | 623 | 5 | 56.6 | .45 | 8.4 |
| 2002 | Michael Vick, Atl. | 15 | 777 | 8 | 51.8 | .53 | 8.4 |
| 2012 | Robert Griffin III, Wash. | 15 | 815 | 7 | 54.3 | .47 | 8.2 |
| 2002 | Donovan McNabb, Phil. | 10 | 460 | 6 | 46.0 | .60 | 8.2 |
| 2015 | Cam Newton, Car. | 16 | 636 | 10 | 39.8 | .63 | 7.7 |
| 2012 | Cam Newton, Car. | 16 | 741 | 8 | 46.3 | .50 | 7.6 |
| 2014 | Russell Wilson, Sea. | 16 | 849 | 6 | 53.1 | .38 | 7.6 |
| 2002 | Daunte Culpepper, Minn. | 16 | 609 | 10 | 38.1 | .63 | 7.6 |
| 2013 | Terrelle Pryor, Oak. | 9 | 553 | 2 | 61.4 | .22 | 7.5 |
| 2006 | Vince Young, Tenn. | 13 | 528 | 7 | 40.6 | .54 | 7.3 |
| 2006 | Michael Vick, Atl. | 16 | 1,039 | 2 | 64.9 | .13 | 7.2 |
| 2004 | Michael Vick, Atl. | 15 | 902 | 3 | 60.1 | .20 | 7.2 |
| 2017 | Cam Newton, Car. | 16 | 754 | 6 | 47.1 | .38 | 7.0 |
| 2000 | Kordell Stewart, Pitt. | 11 | 404 | 6 | 36.7 | .55 | 6.9 |
| 2001 | Daunte Culpepper, Minn. | 11 | 416 | 5 | 37.8 | .45 | 6.5 |
| 2005 | Michael Vick, Atl. | 15 | 597 | 6 | 39.8 | .40 | 6.4 |
| 2016 | Tyrod Taylor, Buff. | 15 | 580 | 6 | 38.7 | .40 | 6.3 |
| 2000 | Donovan McNabb, Phil. | 16 | 629 | 6 | 39.3 | .38 | 6.2 |
| 2014 | Cam Newton, Car. | 14 | 539 | 5 | 38.5 | .36 | 6.0 |
| 2013 | Cam Newton, Car. | 16 | 585 | 6 | 36.6 | .38 | 5.9 |
| 2015 | Tyrod Taylor, Buff. | 14 | 568 | 4 | 40.6 | .29 | 5.8 |
| 2003 | Jeff Garcia, S.F. | 13 | 319 | 7 | 24.5 | .54 | 5.7 |
| 2000 | Cade McNown, Chi. | 9 | 323 | 3 | 35.9 | .33 | 5.6 |
| 2000 | Daunte Culpepper, Minn. | 16 | 470 | 7 | 29.4 | .44 | 5.6 |
| 2003 | Kordell Stewart, Chi. | 7 | 259 | 2 | 37.0 | .29 | 5.4 |
| 2016 | Colin Kaepernick, S.F. | 11 | 468 | 2 | 42.5 | .18 | 5.3 |
| 2001 | Kordell Stewart, Pitt. | 16 | 537 | 5 | 33.6 | .31 | 5.2 |
| 2012 | Colin Kaepernick, S.F. | 7 | 238 | 2 | 34.0 | .29 | 5.1 |
| 2011 | Michael Vick, Phil. | 13 | 589 | 1 | 45.3 | .08 | 5.0 |
—Ian Allan