Tony Pollard runs for 131 yards and 3 TDs against the Bears. D’Onta Foreman runs for 118 yards and 3 TDs against Atlanta. And everyone is reminded of the potential of a backup running back.
Back in August, there’s the general consensus of what we think will happen, with the expected 32 best backs in the league. Then the games and injuries start, and there’s the reality of what actually happens.
As we near the halfway point of the season, there have been 62 games in which a running back ran for at least 90 yards. In over a quarter of those games (16), the player wasn’t one of those 32 coveted backs from August, but instead a less-heralded player from lower down on the depth chart.
This is not an unusual number. (I have looked at similar numbers in previous seasons.) But it’s a reminder that some of the big remaining games by running backs will be authored by guys who are simply waiting in the wings right now.
| RUNNING FOR 90-PLUS YARDS | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Opp | Result | Att | Yards | Avg | TD |
| Derrick Henry, Ten. | at Hou. | W 17-10 | 32 | 219 | 6.8 | 2 |
| Austin Ekeler, LAC | at Clev. | W 30-28 | 16 | 173 | 10.8 | 1 |
| • Kenneth Walker, Sea. | at LAC | W 37-23 | 23 | 167 | 7.3 | 2 |
| Saquon Barkley, NYG | at Tenn. | W 21-20 | 18 | 164 | 9.1 | 1 |
| • Rhamondre Stevenson, N.E. | Det. | W 29-0 | 25 | 161 | 6.4 | 0 |
| Jonathan Taylor, Ind. | at Hou. | T 20-20 | 31 | 161 | 5.2 | 1 |
| • Khalil Herbert, Chi. | Hou. | W 23-20 | 20 | 157 | 7.9 | 2 |
| Travis Etienne, Jac. | Den. | L 17-21 | 24 | 156 | 6.5 | 1 |
| Josh Jacobs, L.V. | at K.C. | L 29-30 | 21 | 154 | 7.3 | 1 |
| Rashaad Penny, Sea. | at Det. | W 48-45 | 17 | 151 | 8.9 | 2 |
| Saquon Barkley, NYG | Chi. | W 20-12 | 31 | 146 | 4.7 | 0 |
| D'Andre Swift, Det. | Phil. | L 35-38 | 15 | 144 | 9.6 | 1 |
| Josh Jacobs, L.V. | Den. | W 32-23 | 28 | 144 | 5.1 | 2 |
| Aaron Jones, G.B. | at Buff. | L 17-27 | 20 | 143 | 7.2 | 0 |
| Josh Jacobs, L.V. | Hou. | W 38-20 | 20 | 143 | 7.2 | 3 |
| Cordarrelle Patterson, Atl. | at Sea. | W 27-23 | 17 | 141 | 8.3 | 1 |
| Nick Chubb, Clev. | at Car. | W 26-24 | 22 | 141 | 6.4 | 0 |
| Miles Sanders, Phil. | Jac. | W 29-21 | 27 | 134 | 5 | 2 |
| Nick Chubb, Clev. | LAC | L 28-30 | 17 | 134 | 7.9 | 2 |
| Aaron Jones, G.B. | Chi. | W 27-10 | 15 | 132 | 8.8 | 1 |
| • Tony Pollard, Dall. | Chi. | W 49-29 | 14 | 131 | 9.4 | 3 |
| Dameon Pierce, Hou. | LAC | L 24-34 | 14 | 131 | 9.4 | 1 |
| Derrick Henry, Ten. | Ind. | W 19-10 | 30 | 128 | 4.3 | 0 |
| Leonard Fournette, T.B. | at Dall. | W 19-3 | 21 | 127 | 6 | 0 |
| David Montgomery, Chi. | at G.B. | L 10-27 | 15 | 122 | 8.1 | 0 |
| • Jeff Wilson, S.F. | at Car. | W 37-15 | 17 | 120 | 7.1 | 1 |
| Cordarrelle Patterson, Atl. | N.O. | L 26-27 | 22 | 120 | 5.5 | 1 |
| • Kenyan Drake, Balt. | at NYG | L 20-24 | 10 | 119 | 11.9 | 1 |
| • D'Onta Foreman, Car. | at Atl. | L 34-37 | 26 | 118 | 4.5 | 3 |
| • D'Onta Foreman, Car. | T.B. | W 21-3 | 15 | 118 | 7.9 | 0 |
| Nick Chubb, Clev. | at Atl. | L 20-23 | 19 | 118 | 6.2 | 1 |
| Breece Hall, NYJ | at G.B. | W 27-10 | 20 | 116 | 5.8 | 1 |
| Derrick Henry, Ten. | at Ind. | W 24-17 | 22 | 114 | 5.2 | 1 |
| Travis Etienne, Jac. | NYG | L 17-23 | 14 | 114 | 8.1 | 1 |
| • Raheem Mostert, Mia | at NYJ | L 17-40 | 18 | 113 | 6.3 | 1 |
| Nick Chubb, Clev. | Pitt. | W 29-17 | 23 | 113 | 4.9 | 1 |
| Dalvin Cook, Min. | Ariz. | W 34-26 | 20 | 111 | 5.6 | 1 |
| Aaron Jones, G.B. | N.E. | W 27-24 | 16 | 110 | 6.9 | 0 |
| Saquon Barkley, NYG | at Jac. | W 23-17 | 24 | 110 | 4.6 | 0 |
| • Jamaal Williams, Det. | Sea. | L 45-48 | 19 | 108 | 5.7 | 2 |
| Christian McCaffrey, Car. | N.O. | W 22-14 | 25 | 108 | 4.3 | 0 |
| Daniel Jones, NYG | at Jac. | W 23-17 | 11 | 107 | 9.7 | 1 |
| • Tony Pollard, Dall. | at NYG | W 23-16 | 13 | 105 | 8.1 | 0 |
| Alvin Kamara, N.O. | Sea. | W 39-32 | 23 | 103 | 4.5 | 0 |
| Christian McCaffrey, Car. | at NYG | L 16-19 | 15 | 102 | 6.8 | 0 |
| Derrick Henry, Ten. | at Was. | W 21-17 | 28 | 102 | 3.6 | 2 |
| • James Robinson, Jac. | at LAC | W 38-10 | 17 | 100 | 5.9 | 1 |
| • Khalil Herbert, Chi. | at Dall. | L 29-49 | 16 | 99 | 6.2 | 1 |
| Alvin Kamara, N.O. | Cin. | L 26-30 | 19 | 99 | 5.2 | 0 |
| Dameon Pierce, Hou. | at Jac. | W 13-6 | 26 | 99 | 3.8 | 1 |
| • Kenneth Walker, Sea. | Ariz. | W 19-9 | 21 | 97 | 4.6 | 1 |
| Breece Hall, NYJ | Mia. | W 40-17 | 18 | 97 | 5.4 | 1 |
| Dalvin Cook, Min. | Det. | W 28-24 | 17 | 96 | 5.6 | 1 |
| Miles Sanders, Phil. | at Det. | W 38-35 | 13 | 96 | 7.4 | 1 |
| Christian McCaffrey, S.F. | at LAR | W 31-14 | 18 | 94 | 5.2 | 1 |
| Dalvin Cook, Min. | Chi. | W 29-22 | 18 | 94 | 5.2 | 2 |
| • Eno Benjamin, Ari. | N.O. | W 42-34 | 12 | 92 | 7.7 | 1 |
| Clyde Edwards-Helaire, K.C. | at T.B. | W 41-31 | 19 | 92 | 4.8 | 1 |
| Dameon Pierce, Hou. | at L.V. | L 20-38 | 20 | 92 | 4.6 | 0 |
| • Caleb Huntley, Atl. | Car. | W 37-34 | 16 | 91 | 5.7 | 0 |
| Nick Chubb, Clev. | at Balt. | L 20-23 | 16 | 91 | 5.7 | 1 |
| Dalvin Cook, Min. | G.B. | W 23-7 | 20 | 90 | 4.5 | 0 |
—Ian Allan