Cowboys' DeMarco Murray on Pace to Set Single-Season Carries Record

Having carried the ball 159 times through his team's first six contests, DeMarco Murray of the Dallas Cowboys has a chance to become the new all-time leader for carries in a single season. Per ESPN Stats & Info, Murray has the fourth-most carries through six games in NFL history, trailing only O.J. Simpson, Eddie George and Ricky Williams.

Only five players have recorded more than 400 rushing attempts in a single season, with Larry Johnson of the Kansas City Chiefs owning the record of 416 set back in the 2006 season. He's followed by Jamal Anderson (410), James Wilder (407), Eric Dickerson (404) and Eddie George (403) in the 400-carry club.

Murray has been able to turn his high volume of carries into consistent production, recording 785 yards (4.9 YPC) and scoring six rushing touchdowns through the Cowboys' first six games. To put that yardage total in perspective, Le'Veon Bell of the Pittsburgh Steelers has the league's second-best rushing total of 542 yards, more than 200 fewer than Murray.

The 6'0", 215-pound back out of Oklahoma is only the second player in NFL history to rush for 100 or more yards in each of his team's first six games of a season. Arguably, his most impressive performance came in Week 6 against the Seattle Seahawks, a team that had yet to allow a 100-yard rusher all year. 

Murray's best single-game total came back in Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans, when he tallied 167 rushing yards in a 26-10 victory. His second-highest total came in Week 4 against the New Orleans Saints as he scampered for 149 yards and two scores.

The NFL's leading rusher may be on pace to eclipse 2,000 yards this season, but he'll need to continue producing at this high volume if he has his sights set on breaking Eric Dickerson's all-time mark of 2,105 yards from 1984. Of course, sitting at 5-1 through six games, the Cowboys may eventually need to preserve their star running back for the long haul.

All stats courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference unless otherwise specified.