Chiefs' Jamaal Charles Passes Priest Holmes as Franchise's Leading Rusher

Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles became his franchise's all-time leading rusher in stylish fashion, breaking Priest Holmes' record of 6,070 yards on a 16-yard touchdown scamper in the second quarter of Sunday's 23-20 win over the San Diego Chargers, per the Chiefs' official Twitter account.

Charles, who has played for the Chiefs since they selected him in the third round of the 2008 NFL draft, entered Sunday's game with 6,018 career rushing yards, needing just 53 to surpass Holmes.

After piling up 37 yards on eight first-quarter carries, Charles scored from 16 yards out on the first play of the second quarter to put himself one yard clear of Holmes, a fellow Texas Longhorn, on the Chiefs' all-time rushing list.

The record-setting carry was impressive, as Charles took a shotgun handoff to the right side and avoided a defender in the backfield then cut back toward the middle before reaching the sideline. Leaving a trail of San Diego defenders in his wake, he jumped past safety Eric Weddle into the end zone, where he collided with Chargers cornerback Brandon Flowers after crossing the goal line.

As great as Charles has been, it took him 85 games to get the record, which Holmes compiled over just 64 games in a Chiefs uniform.

Holmes, an undrafted free agent in 1997, spent the first four years of his career with the Baltimore Ravens then left for Kansas City as a free agent after serving as the backup to star rookie Jamal Lewis for the 2000 Super Bowl champions.

Holmes, though never fully trusted with the starting role, showed plenty of promise in Baltimore by gaining 2,102 yards on 459 carries (4.6 yards per carry) from 1998 to 2000.

He turned out to be one of the great free-agent bargains of all time, earning first-team All-Pro honors in each of his first three seasons with the Chiefs. He led the league with 1,555 rushing yards in 2001 then topped the league in total touchdowns in both 2002 (24) and 2003 (27). His 27 set a record that has since been broken by both Shaun Alexander (28 in 2005) and LaDainian Tomlinson (31 in 2006).

Holmes' success continued until midway through the 2004 campaign, but his career was then derailed by injuries. He recorded just 588 rushing yards after 2004.

The brief but brilliant run behind a dominant offensive line was enough to earn a slew of team records, including the all-time marks for total touchdowns (83) and rushing touchdowns (76).

Charles hasn't played with the same caliber of teammates. And his 31 rushing touchdowns are good for just seventh place in the franchise record books, while his 48 total touchdowns clock in at eighth place.

His numbers may not be as impressive as Holmes', but it isn't hard to imagine Charles doing similar damage under the same circumstances. Still just 27 years old, the two-time first-team All-Pro selection has averaged a ridiculous 5.5 yards per carry over the course of his career. And much like Holmes, he is equally dangerous as a receiver.