The 2,000-yard club is a group of nine National Football League (NFL) running backs as of 2024 who have rushed for 2,000 yards or more in a regular season since the league's 1920 founding. [1] These nine rushing seasons rank as the highest single-season rushing totals in NFL history, [2] and reaching the 2,000-yard mark is considered a significant achievement for running backs. [3] No running back has yet achieved this feat twice.
The first 2,000-yard season was recorded in 1973 by Buffalo Bills running back O. J. Simpson, who is the only player ever to have surpassed 2,000 yards in a 14-game season; all others occurred in 16 or 17-game seasons. Simpson finished the 1973 season with 2,003 rushing yards, averaging six yards per carry and an NFL-record 143.1 rushing yards per game. [4] In 1983, Los Angeles Rams running back Eric Dickerson broke the single-season rookie rushing record, [5] recording the second 2,000-yard season in 1984. Dickerson rushed for 2,105 yards, the current NFL rushing record, averaging 131.6 rushing yards per game. [4]
Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders recorded the third 2,000-yard season in 1997, rushing for 2,053 yards. At the age of 29, Sanders was the oldest back to surpass 2,000 yards. Sanders had opened the season with only 53 yards through two games, but ran for 100 yards or more in each of the last 14 games of the season and averaged 6.1 yards per carry during the season. [4] In 1998, Denver Broncos running back Terrell Davis became the fourth player to rush for over 2,000 yards, running for 2,008 yards. Davis also recorded 21 rushing touchdowns in his 2,000-yard season, the only 2,000 yard rusher to do so. [4] To date, Davis is the only member of the 2,000 yard club to win a Super Bowl in the year that they rushed for 2,000 yards. Davis had reached the 1,000-yard mark only seven games into the season. [5]
Baltimore Ravens running back Jamal Lewis surpassed 2,000 yards in the 2003 season, recording 2,066 yards over the course of the season. 500 of these yards were recorded in two games against the Cleveland Browns, with Lewis rushing for a then-NFL record 295 yards in the first and recording 205 rushing yards in the second. [5] Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson ran for 2,006 yards in 2009, averaging 5.6 yards per carry, and also recorded an NFL-record 2,509 yards from scrimmage. [4] Minnesota Vikings back Adrian Peterson is the third most recent player to have surpassed 2,000 yards rushing, having finished the 2012 season with 2,097 yards rushing, just 8 yards short of Dickerson's record. [5] Peterson had torn two ligaments in his left knee the previous year, making him the only player to have surpassed 2,000 yards after having reconstructive knee surgery the prior season. [1] Titans running back Derrick Henry reached the mark on January 3, 2021, making the Titans the first franchise to have multiple 2,000-yard rushers. Eagles running back Saquon Barkley reached 2,000 yards on December 29, 2024 in the 16th game of the Eagles’ NFL season. [6]
Out of the nine players to have recorded a 2,000-yard rushing season, all but Dickerson won the AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award the year that they rushed for 2,000 yards, although Dickerson would go on to win the award after the 1986 NFL season. Simpson, Sanders, Davis, and Peterson also won the AP Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. Simpson, Dickerson, Sanders, and Davis are each members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which "honor[s] individuals who have made outstanding contributions to professional football"; [7] Lewis and Johnson have not been voted in, Peterson has retired from the NFL but isn't eligible yet, and Henry and Barkley remain active as players.
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Games | Games in the season |
| Att | Total rushing attempts |
| Yds | Total rushing yards |
| TD | Total rushing touchdowns |
| Y/A | Rushing yards per attempt |
| Y/G | Rushing yards per game |
| Top Game | Most single game rushing yards (in season) |
| Fum | Total fumbles |
| MVP | AP Most Valuable Player |
| OPOY | AP Offensive Player of the Year |
| HOF | Pro Football Hall of Fame member |
| * | Active NFL player |
| N/E | Not yet eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame [A] |
| Season | Player | Team | Games | Att | Yds | TDs | Y/A | Y/G | Top Game | Fum | MVP | OPOY | HOF | Active | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | O. J. Simpson | Buffalo Bills | 14 | 332 | 2,003 | 12 | 6.0 | 143.1 | 250 | 7 | Yes | Yes | 1985 | No | [9] |
| 1984 | Eric Dickerson | Los Angeles Rams | 16 | 379 | 2,105 | 14 | 5.6 | 131.6 | 215 | 14 | No | No | 1999 | No | [10] |
| 1997 | Barry Sanders | Detroit Lions | 16 | 335 | 2,053 | 11 | 6.1 | 128.3 | 216 | 3 | Yes | Yes | 2004 | No | [11] |
| 1998 | Terrell Davis | Denver Broncos | 16 | 392 | 2,008 | 21 | 5.1 | 125.5 | 208 | 2 | Yes | Yes | 2017 | No | [12] |
| 2003 | Jamal Lewis | Baltimore Ravens | 16 | 387 | 2,066 | 14 | 5.3 | 129.1 | 295 | 8 | No | Yes | No | No | [13] |
| 2009 | Chris Johnson | Tennessee Titans | 16 | 358 | 2,006 | 14 | 5.6 | 125.4 | 228 | 3 | No | Yes | No | No | [14] |
| 2012 | Adrian Peterson | Minnesota Vikings | 16 | 348 | 2,097 | 12 | 6.0 | 131.1 | 212 | 4 | Yes | Yes | N/E | No | [15] |
| 2020 | Derrick Henry | Tennessee Titans | 16 | 378 | 2,027 | 17 | 5.4 | 126.7 | 250 | 3 | No | Yes | N/E | Yes | [16] |
| 2024 | Saquon Barkley | Philadelphia Eagles | 16 | 345 | 2,005 | 13 | 5.8 | 125.3 | 255 | 2 | n/a | n/a | N/E | Yes | [17] |
Barry Sanders is an American former professional football running back who played for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. Sanders led the league in rushing yards four times and in rushing touchdowns once, establishing himself as one of the most elusive runners in the history of the NFL with his quickness and agility, despite being only 5 ft 8 in tall and weighing 203 lbs. Sanders played college football for the Oklahoma State Cowboys. As a junior in 1988, he compiled what is widely considered the greatest individual season by a running back in college football history, rushing for 2,628 yards and 37 touchdowns in 11 games. He won the Heisman Trophy and was unanimously recognized as an All-American.
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