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The Top 5 Running Backs in NFL History

September 6, 2024・By Liam Setterlund

Barry Sanders running the ball for the Detroit Lions against the Raiders.

In football, each of the 11 players on the field holds a different responsibility. In terms of scoring rushing touchdowns, the running back is crucial for making plays where the ball isn’t thrown, so they must gain as many yards as they can before being tackled.

Rushing yards isn’t the only thing that makes a good running back though, as one that can finish the job by scoring touchdowns is the most valuable. In this article, we’ll highlight the 5 greatest running backs in NFL History including how many games they played, what team they played for, how many touchdowns they scored and how many rushing yards they accumulated throughout their career..

5. LaDainian Tomlinson – 170 games, 13,684 rushing yards, 162 total TDs

Starting the list of the 5 greatest running backs in NFL history is 21st Century Chargers and Jets player, LaDainian Tomlinson. The 2017 Pro Football Hall of Famer was ruthless in points scoring compared to the other candidates, scoring a whopping 162 total touchdowns over his 170 games. By doing the math, you could easily rely on Tomlinson scoring at least one touchdown in every game of his career. To go along with it all, Tomlinson earned 13,684 rushing yards in his NFL career, and will be forever remembered as one of the 5 greatest running backs in NFL history.

4. Barry Sanders – 153 games, 15,269 rushing yards, 109 total TDs

Barry Sanders of the Detroit Lions from 1989 to 1998 is hands down one of the top 5 greatest running backs in NFL history, and for good reason. As an NFL 100 All-timer in 2019 and 2004 Hall of Fame inductee, Sanders would score just 109 touchdowns throughout his 153 games for the Lions, although he was certainly no stranger to yardage. Throughout his Lions career Sanders would run 15,269 yards in total, ball in hand, making pound for pound the second-highest rushing yards earner per game in the history of the NFL.

3. Walter Payton – 190 games, 16,726 rushing yards, 125 total TDs

Walter Payton’s stats don’t lie, and his consistency is one of the many reasons he’s considered to be one of the 5 greatest running backs in NFL history. Throughout his 12 years serving as the Chicago Bears’ running back, Payton would play 190 games, totaling 16,726 rushing yards, coming in second only to Emmit Smith. Even so, 4.4 yards per carry is an incredible statistic to go along with 125 secured touchdowns. In addition to it all, Payton was a 1996 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee and 2019 NFL 100 All-timer, helping solidify his status as one of the top 5 greatest running backs in NFL history without much to argue against.

2. Emmit Smith – 226 games, 18,355 rushing yards, 175 total TDs

Starting as a running back for the Dallas Cowboys in 1990 before finishing his career at the Arizona Cardinals in 2002, Emmit Smith would make a name for himself as one of the best running backs in NFL history. Currently, Smith holds the record for most accumulated rushing yards out of any other running back in NFL history, with his 226 games of experience under his belt to show for it. Emmit would also be a 2010 Pro Football Hall of Famer and a 2019 NFL 100 All-Timer, scoring 175 total touchdowns, more than any other of the 5 greatest running backs in NFL history on this list.

1. Jim Brown – 118 games, 12,312 rushing yards, 126 total TDs

While the stats are interesting on this one, Jim Brown is widely regarded as the greatest running back in NFL history. The eight-year 1957 Cleveland Browns veteran currently holds the record for highest carry yards per carry (5.2) and averaged over 100 rushing yards per game. Out of only 118 NFL career games, Brown managed 12,312 rushing yards to go along with 126 touchdowns, which when considering the amount of games is much less than all other running back candidates on this list, it’s easy to see why Jim Brown will be remembered as the greatest. To top it all off, Brown was elected an eight-time All-Pro, four-time NFL MVP, and led the NFL in rushing yards every season he played, truly making him the greatest running back in NFL history.

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About Liam Setterlund

Liam has been a major sports fan and soccer player for over a decade, with a particular focus on major top-level soccer leagues, including the EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and MLS. He has written numerous promotional articles for various top sportsbooks and continues to publish historical and factual sports articles covering the NFL, MLS, NHL, MLB, EPL and more.