Le'Veon Bell Records 200-Plus Scrimmage Yards in 3rd Consecutive Game

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell tied an NFL record held by Walter Payton when he surpassed 200 yards from scrimmage for a third consecutive game in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 42-21 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, per Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN).

Bell finished the day with 185 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries, along with 50 receiving yards and another touchdown on six receptions, totaling 235 yards from scrimmage.

Payton accomplished the feat in 1977, when he put up a record total of 746 yards from scrimmage over a three-game span. Bell's 235 yards Sunday—added to 254 yards against the New Orleans Saints last week and 222 yards against the Tennessee Titans two weeks ago—give him 711 scrimmage yards over a three-week span, good for second in NFL history, per ESPN Stats and Info.

In a league where two-back rotations have become the norm for most teams, the Steelers have elected to stay with one "Bell cow" at the position. The second-year back out of Michigan State has amassed 1,231 yards and five touchdowns on the ground, with 693 receiving yards and three touchdowns through the air.

While he doesn't have a ton of touchdowns to show for his efforts, Bell ranks second in yardage among running backs in both phases of the game, behind only DeMarco Murray (1,606) in rushing yards and Matt Forte (724) in receiving yards.

Bell also ranks second among backs in total yards from scrimmage, with his 1,924 trailing Murray's 1,998 by just 74. Bell has 60 fewer touches then the Dallas Cowboys' running back, averaging 6.1 yards per touch compared to 5.4 for Murray.

The Steelers head to Atlanta in Week 15 for a matchup with a Falcons defense that's allowing a league-high 403.2 yards per game to opposing offenses and 118.2 yards on the ground, prior to Monday's game against the Green Bay Packers. Bell will enter Sunday's game with a prime matchup for a chance to break his three-game tie with Sweetness.