Most Rushing Yards In An NFL Season 

Most rushing yards in history is 18,355 by Emmitt Smith. Emmitt played 226 games, and his average yards per game is 4.2.

Emmitt Smith

Emmitt is the only athlete who has over 17000 regular season rushing yards.

The running back, Smith, who spent most of his career with the Dallas Cowboys, became an all-time leader rusher in the 2002 season in the National Football League.

Smith played his final two with the Arizona Cardinals before retiring in 2005. For 3224 yards and 11 touchdowns, he also added 515 receptions, as per ESPN.

Walter Payton

The first-round choice of the Chicago Bears, and the fourth player selected in the National Football League Draft in 1975, Walter Payton, developed into a superstar of unusual dimensions during his 13-season National Football League tenure.

Walter held the record of running 16726 yards in the National Football League from 1975 to 1987.

Frank Gore

Frank retired from National Football League as one of the all-time leading rushers with a record of running 16000 yards.

The footballer said he planned to sign a one-day agreement with the San Francisco 49ers on 3 April 2022 and retire as a team member that drafted him, per multiple reports and the National Football League network.

Besides above mentioned players, the following are the players with their total rushing yards :

1. Barry Sanders - 15,269 yards
2. Adrian Peterson - 14,918 yards
3. Curtis Martin - 14,101 yards
4. LaDainian Tomlinson - 13,684 yards
5. Jerome Bettis - 13,662 yards
6. Eric Dickerson - 13,259 yards
7. Tony Dorsett - 12,739 yards
8. Jim Brown - 12,312 yards
9. Marshall Faulk - 12,279 yards
10. Edgerrin James - 12,246 yards

In A Rookie Season

Most rushing yards in a rookie season is by Eric Dickerson. Eric had 1808 yards and 18 rushing touchdowns in 1983.

Eric Dickerson

Eric played 16 games in 1983, and the average passing yards per game was 7.9 while playing with Los Angeles Rams, as per Stat Muse.

He played 11 seasons for 4 teams, including Colts and Rams. He rushed 13259 yards in 2996 carries, made 281 catches for 2137 yards, and got 96 touchdowns.

Dickerson was chosen to play in the 6 Pro Bowls. He received the Offensive Rookie of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year awards. In 1999, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

George Rogers

George Rogers played 16 games in 1981 with 104.6 yards per game, reaching 1,674 yards. He had 13 rushing touchdowns in 378 attempts.

George played for the Redskins and Saints for 7 seasons. He had 7176 yards and scored 54 touchdowns in 1692 attempts.

Rogers was selected in 2 Pro Bowls and received the Offensive Rookie of the Year award and 1 championship.

Ezekiel Elliott

Ezekiel Elliott played 15 games in 2016, with 1,631 yards, and got 15 rushing touchdowns in 2016. Ezekiel's average passing yards per game is 11.3.

In his career, he played 7 seasons for the Cowboys. He had 1881 attempts for 8262 yards and scored 80 touchdowns.

The list below shows the all-time rookie rushing leaders:

1. Alfred Morris (2012) - 1,613 yards
2. Ottis Anderson (1979) - 1,605 yards
3. Edgerrin James (1999) - 1,553 yards
4. Clinton Portis (2002) - 1,508 yards
5. Mike Anderson (2000) - 1,487 yards
6. Curtis Martin (1995) - 1,487 yards
7. Barry Sanders (1989) - 1,470 yards
8. Doug Martin (2012) - 1,454 yards
9. Earl Campbell (1978) - 1,450 yards
10. Curt Warner (1983) - 1,449 yards

Most rushing yards by a quarterback in a single game is 181 yards by Colin Kaepernick in 2013. Colin is a former 49ers quarterback.

During their 2013 NFC Divisional Round playoff matchup, Colin had 181 rushing yards and two touchdowns against the Green Bay Packers.

Justin Fields

Justin Fields set the regular season record of rushing 178 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries on 11 June 2022.

Justin played against Miami Dolphins, and his average yards per carry is 11.9.

Michael Vick

Michael Vick holds the National Football League record by rushing 173 yards and 2 rushing touchdowns on just 10 carries on 1st December 2002.

He played the game against the Minnesota Vikings, and his yards per carry is 17.3.

However, on 26 November 2006, Michael played against New Orleans Saints and rushed 166 yards on 12 attempts. His yard per carry is 13.8 in the National Football League.

Lamar Jackson

Lamar Jackson was running against the Cincinnati Bengals on 13 October 2019. He ran 152 yards and had a touchdown on 19 attempts.

The yard per carry of Lamr is 8. With his total yards, Lamar comes in at number five.

Most rushing yards by a QB in the super bowl is by Patrik Mahomes with 106 yards. Joe Montana is just 1 point behind him.

Single Game

On 12 February 2023, Jalen rushed 70 yards and 3 touchdowns in 15 carries. He played the game against Kansas City Chiefs and got 4.7 yards per carry.

While on 30 January 2000, Steve McNair ran 64 yards in 8 attempts. He played with St. Louis Rams, and his yard per carry is 8.

Colin Kaepernick had low yards compared to Jalen and Steve. Colin rushed 62 yards and a touchdown in 7 attempts. He played with Baltimore Ravens and has 8.9 yards per carry, as per Statmuse.

Besides above mentioned players following are the top players in a Super Bowl:

1. Joe Montana - 59 yards
2. Steve Young - 49 yards
3. Cam Newton - 45 yards
4. Patrick Mahomes - 44 yards
5. Russell Wilson - 39 yards

Career Total

Patrick Mahomes has rushed 106 yards and a touchdown in 20 carries. He played 3 games and scored 5.3 yards per carry in a Super Bowl.

Similarly, Joe Montana had 105 yards and 2 touchdowns in 17 attempts, while John Elway ran 86 yards and 4 touchdowns in 21 attempts. Joe and John played 4 and 5 games with 6.2 and 4.1 yards per carry in Super Bowl, respectively.

Roger Staubach has fewer yards in Superbowl than Patrick, Joe, and John. Roger played 4 games and had a record of rushing 83 yards in 17 carries.

Besides above mentioned players, the following are the other top players and their most career yards in a Super Bowl :

1. Jalen Hurts - 70 yards
2. Russell Wilson - 65 yards
3. Steve McNair - 64 yards
4. Colin Kaepernick - 62 yards
5. Ben Roethlisberger - 58 yards

QB with most rushing yards in a season is 1206 by Lamar Jackson in 2019, followed by Justin Fields with 1143 yards.

Lamar Jackson - 1206 (2019)

Jackson set the record surpassing Michael Vick by 167 yards. He is the only quarterback who exceeds 1000 rushing yards multiple times in a single season.

He gains all of this in the league in his first three years. His rushing yard per game is 67, and his yard per carry is 6.3.

Justin Fields - 1143 (2022)

Justin Fields set the record in National Football League history by exceeding 1143 yards and 8 rushing touchdowns in a single season.

Justin scored the points in week 15 of the 2022 season against the Chicago Bears. His rushing yard per game is 76.2, and his yard per carry is 7.1.

Michael Vick - 1039 (2006)

Michael Vick set the National Football League record by running 1039 rushing yards and 2 rushing touchdowns in 2006.

Vick finished inside the top 25 quarterbacks for the most rushing yards in a single season four times, including once with the Philadelphia Eagles.

His rushing yard per game is 64.9, and his yard per carry is 8.4.

Lamar Jackson - 1005 (2020)

He has also set the record of 1005 rushing yards from Baltimore Raves in 2020. He has at least rushed for 695 yards in every season.

He is one of the greatest rushing quarterbacks of all time despite being in the NFL for just 5 seasons. Jackson was ranked inside the top 21-season rushing yardage total of all time.

Bobby Douglass - 968 (1972)

Bobby Douglass set the record during the season of 1972 with Chicago Bears. He has 968 yards and 7 rushing touchdowns in a season.

The player's average rushing yard per game was 69.1, and his yard per carry was 6.9.

Besides the above quarterbacks, the following is the list of top players in a season with their rushing yards :

• Randall Cunningham - 942 yards
• Michael Vick - 902 yards
• Russell Wilson - 849 yards
• Kyler Murray - 819 yards
• Robert Griffin III - 815 yards
• Jalen Hurts - 784 yards
• Michael Vick - 777 yards
• Lamar Jackson - 767 yards
• Lamar Jackson - 764 yards
• Josh Allen - 763 yards