On Sunday against the Vikings, Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs could join an elite club in NFL history. Gibbs has 5,919 scrimmage yards and 58 scrimmage touchdowns since the Lions drafted him in 2023, so as soon as Sunday he could reach 6,000 yards and 60 touchdowns in his career. If he does, he’ll be just the third player in NFL history to reach those benchmarks within his first three NFL seasons. The others were Broncos Hall of Famer Terrell Davis, who had 7,594 scrimmage yards and 61 touchdowns in his first four NFL seasons, and Chargers Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson, who had 7,921 scrimmage yards and 60 touchdowns in his first four NFL seasons. Gibbs has 890 yards from scrimmage this season, which puts him on pace for 2,522 yards in 17 games. That would break the all-time NFL record of 2,509 scrimmage yards in a season, set by Chris Johnson in 2009
Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs scored a pair of touchdowns in Sunday’s 45-24 win over the Cardinals and that pushed him ahead of a Lions legend for the most touchdowns before the age of 25 in NFL history. Gibbs has scored 58 touchdowns, which is one more than Barry Sanders managed early in his time with Detroit. Gibbs can add to that lead over the rest of the season and he’ll be way ahead if he realizes another one of his goals. After the game, Gibbs told reporters that he has his eye on LaDainian Tomlinson’s single-season record of 31 touchdowns. “For sure, I’m trying to get that ,” Gibbs said. Gibbs has nine touchdowns through the first five weeks of the season and the Lions aren’t shying away from giving him the kind of workload he’ll need to break that record. He has a league-high 132 touches and the Lions will likely keep feeding him on a regular basis given what Gibbs has shown he’s able to do with the ball in his hands
The MVP award has become, essentially, a “best quarterback” award — with rare exceptions. No non-quarterback has won the MVP prize since Vikings running back Adrian Peterson eked out the distinction over Peyton Manning in 2012. In the current century, a non-quarterback became the MVP only four times: Marshall Faulk in 2000, Shaun Alexander in 2005, LaDainian Tomlinson in 2006, and Peterson in 2012. This year, a couple of running backs deserve serious consideration, based on what we’ve seen through four weeks. Falcons running back Bijan Robinson is a touchdown waiting to happen, on any given play. His opening-drive 59-yard touchdown run on Monday night in New Orleans set the tone for Atlantas’ 45-24 win. Though four games, Robinson has 494 yards rushing and 120 yards receiving and five total touchdowns. Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III has become the straw that stirs the Kansas City cocktail. He has 537 yards rushing, 84 yards receiving, and six total touchdowns. He’s also the third player in NFL history to have 170 or more rushing yards in two of the first four games of a season, joining only Jim Brown and O.J. Simpson. Both Robinson and Walker have 99 touches. Walker has gained 621 yards. Robinson has gained 614. When it comes to the MVP betting odds (which are instructive to the general perceptions that surely will influence some or many of the 50 Associated Press voters), both Robinson and Walker are low on the list. Robinson, who was 70-1 when Simms and I discussed the dynamic earlier this morning on PFT Live , is now at 60-1. Walker is 50-1. Currently, the eight highest players on the list of odds are quarterbacks. Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs sits at 30-1, which may be a reflection of the bets made on him before the season started. (He has 102 touches and 540 yards from scrimmage, with seven touchdowns.) Here’s the real question. Is the perception of “value” skewed by the fact that the best quarterbacks make so much more money than the best quarterbacks? The top of the quarterback market is approaching $65 million per year. Gibbs, the highest-paid running back, is at $22.5 million annually. Robinson sits at $22.25 million per year. Walker, who signed as a free agent months before the Robinson and Gibbs deals were done, is making $14.35 million per year. The best running backs are far more valuable to their teams than the market suggests. The existing market held back Walker, Robinson, and Gibbs. The enhanced injury risk at the position is a major factor in the unwillingness of teams to embrace the financial risk that the player at some point won’t be available. While their “value” may not properly be reflected in their contracts, it needs to be recognized in their consideration for the MVP award. The present betting trends show that it’s not. Whether it will be comes down to the ability and willingness of the voters to stop viewing the MVP as a quarterback prize and to start looking at the definition of the prize, as articulated by the AP. “ The player who was most valuable to their team over the course of the season .” Robinson and Walker fit the bill. Gibbs will, too, if the Lions can recover from a sluggish start and become true contenders
Derrick Henry made NFL history during the first half of the Baltimore Ravens ' season opener against the Indianapolis Colts , moving to No. 3 on the NFL's list of career rushing touchdowns. Baltimore's future Hall of Fame running back entered the season ranked fourth all-time in rushing TDs, but with 4:05 left in the opening quarter, Henry found paydirt from four yards out to give the Ravens a 14-7 lead. The score marked Henry's 123rd career rushing touchdown and tied him with Hall of Famer Marcus Allen for third all-time. WALK IN TOUCHDOWN FOR DERRICK HENRY 3RD ALL TIME IN RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS #NFL #Ravens #RavensFlock #Colts #ForTheShoe pic.twitter.com/pB0CVqhNGT In the second quarter, Henry passed Allen when he galloped 32 yards for his second touchdown of the half. The score showcased Henry's unique and vast skillset that includes his impressive vision, strength and closing speed. THE KING!!!! 32-YARD TOUCHDOWN FROM @KingHenry_2 FOR HIS SECOND TD OF THE DAY!!! Tune in on @NFLonCBS and @ParamountPlus . pic.twitter.com/TDSbqCwka3 Allen, whom Henry passed on Sunday, retired after the 1997 season as the NFL's career leader in touchdown runs. Allen's career accomplishments also included being the MVP of Super Bowl XVIII, the 1985 NFL MVP, the 1993 NFL Comeback Player of the Year and the first player in history to have at least 10,000 rushing and 5,000 receiving yards. Allen also held the record for the longest run in Super Bowl history (74 yards in Super Bowl XVIII) for 22 years, until then-Steelers running back Willie Parker broke it in Super Bowl XL. Marcus Allen reversed the field...and left defenders in the dust. Rewatch the @Raiders Super Bowl XVIII victory for FREE with NFL GamePass: https://t.co/3yQtk4LcnE pic.twitter.com/W8YomtRy0V Fellow Hall of Famers Emmitt Smith and LaDainian Tomlin are the only players who have more career touchdown runs than Henry. Smith, the NFL's career rushing leader, ran for 164 touchdowns during his 15-year career with the Cowboys and Cardinals . Tomlinson ran for 145 touchdowns over an 11-year career with the Chargers and Jets . Henry entered Sunday's game 10th all-time in career rushing yards. He is less than 1,000 rushing yards away from becoming only the seventh player with at least 14,000 rushing yards
Drew Brees reminisced about his time with the Chargers, particularly his bond with LaDainian Tomlinson, during his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction speech. Brees highlighted their shared history dating back to high school and college, their parallel careers as draft picks, and their mutual success in the NFL, emphasizing how Tomlinson's presence significantly contributed to his own career accomplishments during their five years together in San Diego
Ravens running back Derrick Henry isn’t even thinking about retiring , which means he’s going to add to an already impressive list of career achievements. Up next is moving up the all-time rushing touchdown ranks. Henry’s next rushing touchdown will be the 123rd of his career, which will tie Marcus Allen for the third-most in NFL history. At that point, only Emmitt Smith (164) and LaDainian Tomlinson (145) will have more career rushing touchdowns than Henry. If Henry runs for at least 1,500 yards this season, he’ll be the only running back in NFL history with six 1,500-yard seasons in his career. Currently, Henry and Barry Sanders are the only running backs with five 1,500-yard seasons. Henry has 13,018 rushing yards in his career, which is the 10th-most in NFL history. If he has one of his typical seasons, he’ll move up to sixth all-time, ahead of Eric Dickerson (13,259), Jerome Bettis (13,662), LaDainian Tomlinson (13,684) and Curtis Martin (14,101)
Bills running back James Cook led the league in rushing last season with 1,621 yards. It came after a hold-in during training camp as he sought a new contract that he received after more than a week of not practicing. Last year, though, was last year. “I don’t like to talk about last year, because last year is in the past . This year is a new year,” Cook said, via John Wawrow of the Associated Press. “Put last year behind me, and just come out here to do it again.” Only two players since 2001 have won back-to-back rushing titles — Derrick Henry (2019-20) and LaDainian Tomlinson (2006-07). “I expect James Cook to take another step this year in different elements of his game and continue to be the workhorse as a runner,” new coach Joe Brady said. “And he wants it, right? He had such an incredible season last year. And without diving into exactly what, this is what I told him: He has got to get better. We can’t take steps backward.” Cook, 26, said he is “looking forward to doing even bigger things.” He concedes his ball security has got to improve after losing four of seven fumbles last season, including one at the Denver 30 in a 33-30 overtime loss in the divisional round. “I fumbled, so I just got to fix it,” Cook said. “The ball is everybody’s job, and that’s my job. I’m willing to protect it.” The Bills are only 5-4 in the postseason in Cook’s four seasons, losing in the divisional round three times and the AFC Championship Game once. They are the first team in NFL history to win a playoff game in six consecutive postseasons without reaching a Super Bowl. “It’s on us. The ball is in our hands,” Cook said. “We control our own destiny. So whatever we do is on us. Eventually, it’s going to happen.”
Jahmyr Gibbs is projected to be the top overall pick in 2026 fantasy football drafts, edging out Bijan Robinson due to superior fantasy points per touch and scoring potential. Gibbs has demonstrated remarkable efficiency and a higher touchdown rate, positioning him as the preferred choice for fantasy owners
Bills quarterback Josh Allen is closing in on a rushing milestone that only four quarterbacks have previously reached: Five thousand yards. Allen, who has 4,721 career rushing yards, can become the fifth quarterback in NFL history with 5,000 rushing yards this season. If he gains yardage at his career average of 36.9 rushing yards per game, Allen would reach 5,000 yards in his eighth game of this season. With 5,000 yards, Allen would join Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (6,522 yards) and retired quarterbacks Michael Vick (6,109 yards), Cam Newton (5,628 yards) and Russell Wilson (5,568 yards) as the only quarterbacks ever to reach 5,000 rushing yards. Allen is already the NFL’s all-time leader in rushing touchdowns for a quarterback, with 79. He has at least six rushing touchdowns in every season of his career, and if he crosses the goal line six times this year, he’ll become just the fourth player ever with at least six rushing touchdowns in nine consecutive seasons, along with Marshall Faulk (10), LaDainian Tomlinson (10) and Jim Brown (nine)
