The NFL is about to kickoff in the 2020s (we hope) but before that begins, let’s take a look back at the 2010s. In particular, let’s review some of the craziest seasons from running backs in the last decade. There have been some wild, unpredictable and improbable performances from rushers over the past ten years.
You will remember some of these players, others you will have totally forgotten about and one remains forever immortalized on the cover of Madden.
Related: The NFL 2010s NOT all decade team – Offense
The craziest seasons from running backs in the 2010s
2019
Leonard Fournette
| GP | Att. | Yards | YPC | TDs | Fumbles | |
| Leonard Fournette | 15 | 265 | 1152 | 4.3 | 3 | 1 |
We start with last season where Leonard Fournette finally delivered a performance you’d expect from someone drafted fourth overall. Well, apart from the fact he only had three total touchdowns for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Despite toting the rock 265 times and catching 76 passes, the former LSU Tiger only scored three measly times. No play better exemplifies Fournette’s crazy season than his 81-yard run against the Denver Broncos where he was tackled before scoring.
2018
Phillip Lindsay
| GP | Att. | Yards | YPC | TDs | Fumbles | |
| Phillip Lindsay | 15 | 192 | 1037 | 5.4 | 9 | 0 |
On the surface, Phillip Lindsay had an above average season for a running back. It’s the story on how he got there that makes this season pretty crazy. He went undrafted in 2018 and signed with the Denver Broncos amid no fanfare. The team drafted Royce Freeman in the third round and he was supposed to be the starter. That never happened because Lindsay showed out every time he got on the field. His season was the best ever for an undrafted rookie running back.
2017
Kareem Hunt
| GP | Att. | Yards | YPC | TDs | Fumbles | |
| Kareem Hunt | 16 | 272 | 1327 | 4.9 | 8 | 1 |
Another rookie makes the list with Kareem Hunt’s 2017 campaign too crazy to pass up. Not much was known about Hunt coming out of college. That quickly changed. The 2017 season opener against the New England Patriots in primetime saw Hunt rush for 148 yards while catching five passes for 98 yards. He finished the year as the NFL’s leading rusher, something very few would have predicted at the start of the season.
2016
LeGarrette Blount
| GP | Att. | Yards | YPC | TDs | Fumbles | |
| LeGarrette Blount | 16 | 299 | 1161 | 3.9 | 18 | 2 |
LeGarrette Blount didn’t earn any style points in 2016, but his 18 rushing touchdowns were the highest single season total in the 2010s. This season is ridiculous because the former Oregon Duck didn’t rush for more than seven touchdowns in any other season during his nine-year career.
The New England Patriots 2016 offense wasn’t exactly dynamic. Martellus Bennett was second on the team in touchdowns with seven while Rob Gronkowski only played eight games. It’s sort of amazing that New England was able to go 14-2 while handing Blount the ball almost 300 times.
2015
Alfred Morris
| GP | Att. | Yards | YPC | TDs | Fumbles | |
| Alfred Morris | 16 | 202 | 751 | 3.7 | 1 | 0 |
Alfred Morris’ career peaked his rookie season in 2012 and slowly went downhill from there. The last time he would see more than 200 carries in a season was 2015 and he sure didn’t do much with them. Morris was lucky that his backup, Matt Jones, was somehow more ineffective than he was. The duo combined for 346 carries and four rushing touchdowns in 2015. Kirk Cousins had five rushing touchdowns on 26 carries. This is a case of a season being crazy in a bad way.
2014
DeMarco Murray
| GP | Att. | Yards | YPC | TDs | Fumbles | |
| DeMarco Murray | 16 | 392 | 1845 | 4.7 | 13 | 6 |
The 392 carries DeMarco Murray received in 2014 with the Dallas Cowboys was the seventh most in a single season. Only two players since 2000 had more rushing attempts in one year: Eddie George (403) and Larry Johnson (416). Here’s the thing though. Murray had more yards than either of them rushed for. Given the way the NFL is trending, it could be a while before a running back even gets close to this number of rushing attempts in a season again.
2013
Rashard Mendenhall
| GP | Att. | Yards | YPC | TDs | Fumbles | |
| Rashard Mendenhall | 15 | 217 | 687 | 3.2 | 8 | 4 |
There is no logical explanation as to why the Arizona Cardinals gave Rashard Mendenhall so many carries in 2013. At no point in the season did he look like a viable option. And yet they kept handing the ball off to him for three yards. The only explanation could be the fact Bruce Arians isn’t good with running backs.
2012
Adrian Peterson
| GP | Att. | Yards | YPC | TDs | Fumbles | |
| Adrian Peterson | 16 | 348 | 2097 | 6.0 | 12 | 4 |
Adrian Peterson’s 2012 season is the polar opposite of what Rashard Mendenhall would do a year later. This is one of the greatest seasons a running back has ever put together. Somewhat surprisingly, AP didn’t even lead the league in carries in 2012. That honor went to Arian Foster who had 351 rushing attempts.
2011
Maurice Jones-Drew
| GP | Att. | Yards | YPC | TDs | Fumbles | |
| Maurice Jones-Drew | 16 | 343 | 1606 | 4.7 | 8 | 6 |
This would prove to be a swan song of sorts for Maurice Jones-Drew who would never have another 1,000-yard season in the NFL. What makes his 2011 season so crazy is the consistency MJD managed. He only had one game with less than 85 rushing yards. AP didn’t even accomplish that in his crazy 2012 season.
2010
Peyton Hillis
| GP | Att. | Yards | YPC | TDs | Fumbles | |
| Peyton Hillis | 16 | 270 | 1117 | 4.4 | 11 | 8 |
The story of Peyton Hillis is well known by now, so there is no need to go over it. But it is easy to forget that his 2010 season almost ended before ever taking off. He only rushed the ball 17 times for 76 yards in his first two games including a two-fumble performance in the 2010 season opener. In fact, some dude named Jerome Harrison was actually the starter for the Browns. However, he missed week three with Hillis going off for 144 yards as the featured back. Harrison would be traded, and the rest is history.
