Cream of the Crop: Who Winds Up with the Most Rushing Yards in the NFL?

Three weeks are in the books. The top five rushers include the expected and some surprises. Here they are after three weeks:

1. Arian Foster, Texans: 69 attempts, 406 yards, 3 TD
2. Adrian Peterson, Vikings: 70 attempts, 392 yards, 3 TD
3. Darren McFadden, Raiders: 73 attempts, 345 yards, 1 TD
4. Rashard Mendenhall, Steelers: 64 attempts, 332 yards, 2 TD
5. Chris Johnson, Titans: 75 attempts, 301 yards, 4 TD

Most people would have expected Peterson and Johnson to be on the list. Foster is an unknown who broke onto the scene in the Texans’ Week 1 upset of the Colts with 231 yards.

McFadden has been a surprise after not even reaching 500 yards in either of his first two seasons. He is only 12 yards shy of his rush yards total from last year. Mendenhall’s output was expected. The running game has carried the Steelers in the past and it has been even more true this year with three different quarterbacks at the helm.

All of these guys have the opportunity to win the rushing crown. I doubt Johnson will eclipse the rushing record as he predicted before the start of the season, especially at the rate he is going now.

There have been other pleasant surprises in the running game this year.

Take the Chiefs two-headed attack in Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones. At age 32, when backs begin to lose their edge, Jones has shown that he can still get the job done. He ran for 1,400 yards for the Jets last year and he is continuing his success this year.

Charles has been a bruiser as well. The duo has combined for 455 yards and two touchdowns. Not too shabby for a team that wasn’t expected to go anywhere.

The two-headed monster of Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams have been relatively quiet for the 0-3 Panthers. They have a combined 248 yards.

As the season progresses, I think Favre and the Vikings will revert back to the potent passing attack that was so successful last year, allowing Peterson to be even more effective than he has been. I believe he will win the rushing title this year with over 1,600 yards this year.

Chris Johnson will have the most touchdowns with 17. More teams are honing in on Johnson. They know his game, and since it is predicated on speed and elusiveness, defenses have a better chance at planning for him. Peterson is a power and speed back and possesses the ability to break tackles.

I’m excited for the rushing battle this year. In a league becoming increasingly obsessed with the passing game, it’s important to keep an eye on the other aspect of the offense that can have just as big of an impact on a game. Who do you think will be the top rusher this year and with how many yards and touchdowns?