NFL Power Rankings Week 8: Rating The AFC RB Performances

Although the NFL has slowly become a league dominated by passing games there are still many great Running Backs making a big impact this year.

Each week we see more and more dominating performances and as the temperature begins to drop around the league it will become even more important for teams to be able to run the ball.

Here we will rate all the AFC RB's based on their performances this year, but focusing on their performance last week.

16. Knowshon Moreno (Denver Broncos)

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DENVER - OCTOBER 24: Running back Knowshon Moreno #27 of the Denver Broncos celebrates his touchdown run in the second quarter against the Oakland Raiders at INVESCO Field at Mile High on October 24, 2010 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Get

Season Stats- 65 Carries, 212 Yards, 3.3 YPC, 2 TDs

Week 7 stats: 14 Carries, 53 Yards

I will admit that Moreno missing a few games due to injury is probably responsible for his poor statistics, although his yards per carry is still too low in my mind. I think Moreno's stock will improve as the season progresses, but for now Moreno and the porous Denver Broncos are stuck in this spot.

15. Fred Jackson (Buffalo Bills)

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BALTIMORE, MD - OCTOBER 24: Fred Jackson #22 of the Buffalo Bills runs the ball against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on October 24, 2010 in Baltimore, Maryland. The Bills lead the Ravens at the half 24-20. (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images)

Season Stats: 55 Carries, 233 Yards, 4.2 Yards per Carry (YPC), 1 TD

Week 7 Performance: 23 Carries, 73 yards Vs. Ravens

Jackson had a solid performance this week as the Bills experienced an offensive explosion against the Ravens. Although they ended up blowing the game the Bills can take solace in one of their better offensive performances in recent years. Jackson's performance helped balance a great day had by QB Ryan Fitzpatrick.

14. BenJarvus Green-Ellis (New England Patriots)

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FOXBORO, MA - SEPTEMBER 26: BenJarvus Green-Ellis #42 of the New England Patriots gains yardage against the defense of Jairus Byrd #31 of the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium on September 26, 2010 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Im

Season Stats: 68 Carries, 259 Yards, 3.8 YPC, 4 TD's

Week 7 Stats: 11 Carries, 24 Yards, 1 TD

"The Law Firm" could not get it going in the Patriots victory over the Chargers but was able to cash in for one touchdown. The running game is very secondary in the Pats offense but it is important the Green-Ellis be able to cash in for 6 near the goal line.

13. Mike Tolbert/Ryan Mathews (San Diego Chargers)

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OAKLAND, CA - OCTOBER 10: Mike Tolbert #35 is congratulated by Jacob Hester #22 of the San Diego Chargers after he scored a touchdown against the Oakland Raiders at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on October 10, 2010 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ez

Season Stats: Mathews- 63 Carries, 297 Yards, 4.7 YPC, 1 TD

Tolbert: 68 Carries, 300 Yards, 4.4 YPC, 6 TD's

Week 7 Stats: Mathews- 8 Carries, 15 Yards

Tolbert: 2 Carries, 5 Yards, 1 TD

Mathews and Tolbert have split the carries almost evenly this year and have combined to form a fairly effective running game in San Diego. This week however the Chargers fell behind big early and were forced to more or less abandon the running game. Tolbert however was still able to snag a touchdown on one of his two carries.

12. Joseph Addai (Indianapolis Colts)

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JACKSONVILLE, FL - OCTOBER 03: Running back Joseph Addai #29 of the Indianapolis Colts runs against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field on October 3, 2010 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images)

Season Stats: 93 Carries, 406 Yards, 4.4 YPC, 3 TDs

Week 7 Stats: Bye Week

Although Addai and the running game are secondary in the Peyton Manning offense he has been able to put up some solid numbers this year. Addai is currently nursing a shoulder injury so we will see if he will be able to continue to be effective throughout the season.

11. Cedric Benson (Cincinatti Bengals)

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CINCINNATI, OH - OCTOBER 10: Quarterback Carson Palmer #9 of the Cincinnati Bengals hands off to Cedric Benson #32 of the Bengals during a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Paul Brown Stadium on October 10, 2010 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie

Season Stats: 123 Carries, 476 Yards, 3.9 YPC, 2 TDs

Week 7 Stats: 20 Carries, 70 Yards

Benson has had a pretty up and down season after a stellar 2009 campaign. This week Benson didn't run terrible but a big deficit forced the Bengals to abandon the running game to an extent. They will need to attempt to set the tone with Benson going forward.

10. Ronnie Brown/ Ricky Williams (Miami Dolphins)

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MIAMI - OCTOBER 24: Running back Ronnie Brown #23 eludes linebacker Larry Foote #50 of the Pittsburgh Steelers at Sun Life Stadium on October 24, 2010 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images)

Season Stats: Williams- 67 Carries, 288 Yards, 4.3 YPC, 0 TDs

Brown- 76 Carries, 313 Yards, 4.1 YPC, 1 TD

Week 7 Stats: Williams- 11 Carries, 48 Yards

Brown- 9 Carries, 14 Yards

The two-headed monster of Miami RB's was held in check by the vaunted Steelers defense this week and that certainly contributed to the result of this game. Going forward the Dolphins will need more consistent efforts from their two talented backs.

9. Peyton Hillis (Cleveland Browns)

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NEW ORLEANS - OCTOBER 24: Peyton Hillis #40 of the Cleveland Browns avoids a tackle by Remi Ayodele #92 of the New Orleans Saints at the Louisiana Superdome on October 24, 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Browns defeated the Saints 30-17. (Photo by

Season Stats- 104 Carries, 460 Yards, 4.4 YPC, 5 TDs

Week 7 Stats- 16 Carries, 69 Yards, 1 TD

Hillis had another typical bruising back style of game against the Saints. Although the Browns won the game on the backs of their defense the offense played a solid game and really gave their defense (and special teams) a chance to win the game.

8. Ray Rice (Baltimore Ravens)

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BALTIMORE, MD - OCTOBER 24: Ray Rice #27 of the Baltimore Ravens runs the ball against the Buffalo Bills at M&T Bank Stadium on October 24, 2010 in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens defeated the Bills 37-34. (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images)

Season Stats- 131 Carries, 523 Yards, 4.0 YPC, 2 TDs

Week 7 Stats- 16 Carries, 72 Yards

Rice had a solid game against the Bills although you could argue that he should have had a more explosive day against such a poor defense. As in some other games the Ravens had to abandon the running game to overcome a big deficit and that certainly hurt Rice's productivity/

7. Maurice Jones-Drew (Jacksonville Jaguars)

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ORCHARD PARK, NY - OCTOBER 10: Maurice Jones-Drew #32 of the Jacksonville Jaguars celebrates what he thinks is a touchdown that was called back for a penalty in the third quarter against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium on October 10, 2010 in Orc

Season Stats: 135 Carries, 510 Yards, 3.8 YPC, 1 TD

Week 7 Stats: 16 Carries 47 Yards

MJD had a rough game Sunday although he was more fairly effective catching the ball. It is sometimes tough for Jones-Drew to put up big numbers as he is the clear No. 1 option on this offense and therefore has defenses really keying on him. Expect some bounce back weeks from MJD going forward.

6. Rashard Mendenhall (Pittsburgh Steelers)

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MIAMI - OCTOBER 24: Running back Rashard Mendenhall #34 carries the ball against the Miami Dolphins at Sun Life Stadium on October 24, 2010 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images)

Season Stats- 131 Carries, 532 Yards, 4.1 YPC, 5 TDs

Week 7 Stats- 15 Carries, 37 Yards

Mendenhall had his carries cut this week as coach Mike Tomlin was worried about the young player having too many touches this season. This led to a fairly ineffective game from Mendenhall against the Dolphins. However expect this tempered approach to pay off later in the season.

5. LaDainian Tomlinson (New York Jets)

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DENVER - OCTOBER 17: Running back LaDainian Tomlinson #21 of the New York Jets celebrates his touchdown against the Denver Broncos at INVESCO Field at Mile High on October 17, 2010 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

Season Stats: 92 Carries, 490 Yards, 5.3 YPC, 5 TDs

Week 7 stats: Bye Week

LT has had a renaissance year so far with one of the most impressive YPC's in the NFL. The carries have been somewhat limited but the results have been fantastic, especially the amount of TD's LT has been able to rack up. His continued success will mean a lot for the success of the Jets going forward.

4. Jamaal Charles/Thomas Jones (Kansas City Chiefs)

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KANSAS CITY, MO - OCTOBER 24: Running back Thomas Jones #20 of the Kansas City Chiefs carries the ball up and over for a touchdown during the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on October 24, 2010 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo

Season Stats: Charles- 81 Carries, 489 Yards, 6.0 YPC, 2 TDs

Jones- 99 Carries, 461 Yards, 4.7 YPC, 3 TDs

Week 7 Stats: Charles- 15 Carries, 71 Yards, 1 TD

Jones- 20 Carries, 125 Yards, 1 TD

The Chiefs have gotten off to a great start this year in large part thanks to these two backs. Both had big games this week against the Jaguars and each had a touchdown to continue the Chiefs hot start.

3. Darren McFadden (Oakland Raiders)

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OAKLAND, CA - OCTOBER 3: Running Back Darren McFadden #20 of the Oakland Raider tries to avoid the tackle of linebacker Zac Diles #54 of the Houston Texans during an NFL football game October 3, 2010 at The Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, Cal

Season Stats: 101 Carries, 557 Yards, 5.5 YPC, 4 TDs

Week 7 Stats: 16 Carries, 165 Yards, 3 TDs

McFadden has had a breakout year so far and has shown much of the promise that made him a top pick as a rookie. This week McFadden had his breakout game, scampering for three touchdowns and averaging over 10 yards a carry in the Raiders blowout victory over the Broncos.

2. Arian Foster (Houston Texans)

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OAKLAND, CA - OCTOBER 3: Running back Arian Foster #23 of the Houston Texans scores a touchdown in front of linebacker Rolando McClain #55 of the Oakland Raiders during an NFL football game October 3, 2010 at The Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in Oakla

Season Stats: 115 Carries, 635 Yards, 5.5 YPC, 6 TDs

Week 7 Stats: Bye Week

Despite the Bye week Foster still sits near the top of the league in rushing yards and has no doubt been one of the great surprises of the season. He has given the Texans a balanced offense and could help them reach the playoffs for the first time.

1. Chris Johnson (Tennessee Titans)

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NASHVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 24: Chris Johnson #28 of the Tennessee Titans runs with the while defended by Asante Samuel #22 of the Philadelphia Eagles at LP Field on October 24, 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans won 37-19. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty

Season Stats: 163 carries, 662 Yards, 4.1 YPC, 7 TDs

Week 7 Stats: 24 Carries, 66 Yards

Johnson had an uncharacteristic poor performance this week although the passing game was able to carry the Titans to a victory. On the season however Johnson still leads all AFC backs in yards and has not yet relinquished the title of the league's best back.