50 Greatest Backfields in NFL History

The following is a list of the 50 greatest backfields in NFL history (only running backs were considered).  Sometimes a great backfield is made up of a great duo or trio of backs, but sometimes it can just be made up of one running back who has an exceptional season in terms of yardage or touchdowns.

1989 Los Angeles Raiders Bo Jackson

Bo Jackson could have been the greatest running back in the history of the NFL had his career not been ended so early because of an injury.  In 1989 he and Marcus Allen lined up in the same backfield and combined for 1,243 yards rushing.  

That backfield also featured Steve Smith who ran for 471 yards.

1965 Cleveland Browns Jim Brown

The 1965 Cleveland Browns featured Jim Brown.  He ran for 1,544 yards in 14 games.  He averaged 5.3 yards per carry.  Ernie Green also ran for 436 yards for the Browns that season.

2005 San Diego Chargers LaDainian Tomlinson

The 2005 San Diego Chargers backfield featured LaDainian Tomlinson, who ran for 1,462 yards and 18 touchdowns.  Michael Turner was also a part of that backfield, and he carried the ball 57 times for 335 yards and scored three times.

2002 Kansas City Chiefs Priest Holmes

People often forget how good Priest Holmes was for a short stretch.  He scored 21 rushing touchdowns and ran for 1,615 yards in 2002.

1960 Green Bay Packers Paul Hornung

In 1960 Jim Taylor ran for 1,101 yards and 11 touchdowns in 12 games for the Green Bay Packers.  Paul Hornung also carried the ball 160 times for 671 yards and 13 touchdowns.

1972 Miami Dolphins Larry Csonka

The 1972 Dolphins remain the only undefeated Super Bowl champions.  They had a backfield that featured Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris, who ran for 2,117 yards and 18 touchdowns that year.

1994 Dallas Cowboys Emmitt Smith

Emmitt could probably show up on this list 10 times by himself.  1994 was another great year where he ran for 1,484 yards and scored 21 rushing touchdowns.

2003 Kansas City Chiefs Priest Holmes

In 2003 Priest Holmes rushed for 1,420 yards and 27 touchdowns.  The 27 touchdowns is still tied for second all-time in a single season.

1983 Washington Redskins John Riggins

John Riggins was dominant in 1983 when he rushed for 1,347 yards and 24 touchdowns.  That backfield also featured Joe Washington who ran for 772 yards that season.

2008 Tennessee Titans Chris Johnson

In 2008 Chris Johnson was a rookie, and he burst onto the NFL scene with 1,228 yards.  He was complemented in that backfield by LenDale White who rushed for 773 yards and 15 touchdowns.

2005 Seattle Seahawks Shaun Alexander

Shaun Alexander had one of the greatest seasons ever turned in by a running back in 2005.  He rushed for 1,880 yards and scored 27 touchdowns.

1995 Dallas Cowboys Emmitt Smith

Emmitt Smith had a lot of excellent seasons, but 1995 was his best.  He rushed for 1,773 yards and 25 touchdowns leading the Cowboys to a 12-4 record.

2009 Carolina Panthers DeAngelo Williams

There was a debate in 2009 about who should be called Smash and Dash between the Panthers and Titans.  DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart earned the title by rushing for 2,250 yards and 17 touchdowns.

2006 San Diego Chargers LaDainian Tomlinson

The 2006 season from LT and Michael Turner was even better than 2005.  Tomlinson rushed for 28 touchdowns, the single-season record, and Turner carried the ball 80 times for 502 yards.

1985 New York Giants Joe Morris

Joe Morris is not a name that you hear mentioned among the best running backs in NFL history, but he did have one really good season in 1985.  He rushed for 1,336 yards and 21 touchdowns.  He was complemented in that backfield by George Adams, who ran for 498 yards.

1957 Los Angeles Rams

The Rams of the '50s might have invented the running back by committee.  In 1957 they used four different running backs, Tommy Wilson, Joe Marconi, Tank Younger and Jon Arnett, to rush for 1,845 yards.

1998 Denver Broncos Terrell Davis

In 1998 Terrell Davis rushed for 2,008 yards and 21 touchdowns.  Those numbers led the Broncos to a Super Bowl and a lot of Mile High Salutes.

2009 Minnesota Vikings Adrian Peterson

Adrian Peterson rushed for 1,383 yards in 2009.  People often forget that the '09 Vikings also had Chester Taylor at their disposal.  He chipped in 338 yards of his own that year.

1984 Los Angeles Rams Eric Dickerson

In 1984 Eric Dickerson set the single-season rushing record with 2,105 yards.  Dickerson had plenty of really good years, but there is no doubt that his '84 effort was one of the best of all time.

1996 Washington Redskins Terry Allen

Terry Allen was a stud for the 1996 Redskins.  He ran for 1,353 yards and 21 touchdowns.  Washington also had Brian Mitchell in that backfield.

2005 Kansas City Chiefs Larry Johnson

Priest Holmes was on the decline by 2005, and he gave way to Larry Johnson.  LJ had a huge year in 2005, rushing for 1,750 yards and 20 touchdowns.

1979 Houston Oilers Earl Campbell

Earl Campbell was a beast in 1979.  He carried the ball 368 times for 1,697 yards and 19 touchdowns.  Rob Carpenter put the group over the 2,000-yard mark with 355 yards.

1981 San Diego Chargers Chuck Muncie

Chuck Muncie led the 1981 Chargers with 1,144 yards and 19 touchdowns, but he was not the only good running back that team had.  James Brooks added 525 yards on 109 carries.

2000 St. Louis Rams Marshall Faulk

In 2000 Marshall Faulk was the straw that stirred the Greatest Show on Turf drink.  He carried the ball 253 times for 1,359 yards and caught 81 passes for 830 yards.

1986 Washington Redskins George Rogers

The Redskins have a pretty good list of solid running backs through the years, and George Rogers was no exception.  In 1986 he ran for 1,203 yards and 18 touchdowns.

2000 New York Giants Tiki Barber

Tiki Barber and Ron Dayne added up to a perfect thunder-and-lightning combination in 2000.  Barber ran for 1,006 yards and Dayne ran for 770 of his own.

1997 Pittsburgh Steelers Jerome Bettis

The Bus had the best season of his illustrious career in 1997 when he rushed for 1,665 yards.  It is a little odd that he only had seven touchdowns that season.

2006 New York Giants Tiki Barber

Tiki Barber was still the headliner in 2006 when he ran for 1,662 yards, but this time he was complemented by Brandon Jacobs.  Jacobs added 423 yards and nine touchdowns in 2006.

1999 Washington Redskins Stephen Davis

Stephen Davis scored 17 touchdowns and rushed for 1,405 yards in 1999.  Skip Hicks was also a solid option for Washington that year with 257 yards.

1958 Cleveland Browns Jim Brown

Jim Brown is one of the greatest of all time, but the 1958 Browns had a couple of other guys that could tote the rock.  Bobby Mitchell ran for 500 yards.  Lew Carpenter also added 308 to Brown's 1,527.  They did all of that in just 12 games.

2008 Atlanta Falcons Michael Turner

The Atlanta Falcons had a deadly duo in their 2008 backfield.  Michael Turner ran for 1,699 yards and 17 touchdowns, but defenses could not rest when he went out of the game because the Falcons had Jerious Norwood.  He added 489 yards of his own for the season.

1964 Baltimore Colts Lenny Moore

Johnny Unitas is the name most people remember from the '64 Colts, but they had a three-headed monster running the football.  Lenny Moore, Tony Lorick and Jerry Hill combined for 1,481 yards in 14 games.

2002 Miami Dolphins Ricky Williams

Ricky Williams had a really big year in in 2002 when he carried the ball 383 times for 1,853 yards.  He also scored 16 rushing touchdowns.

1994 Detroit Lions Barry Sanders

Another year and another 1,883 yards for Barry Sanders.  It is scary to think about what he could have done playing behind the same offensive line that Emmitt Smith benefited from.

2003 Baltimore Ravens Jamal Lewis

Jamal Lewis amassed 2,066 yards and 14 touchdowns for the 2003 Ravens.  He was spelled that year by Chester Taylor who had 276 yards of his own.

1987 Detroit Lions Barry Sanders

Barry Sanders is the greatest running back of all time, and 1987 was his best season.  He rushed for 2,053 yards on 335 carries.  That is 6.1 yards per carry.

1973 Buffalo Bills O.J. Simpson

The 1973 Buffalo Bills were led in rushing by O.J. Simpson with 2,003 yards.  The Bills also had Jim Braxton and Larry Watkins add another 908 yards between them.

2003 Green Bay Packers

Ahman Green and Najeh Davenport were a heck of a tandem in 2003.  Green ran for 1,883 yards and Davenport ran for 420 yards.  They combined for 17 touchdowns.

1977 Chicago Bears Walter Payton

Sweetness ran wild in 1977 with 1,852 yards and 14 touchdowns.  People forget about Roland Harper who added 457 yards that season.

1967 Chicago Bears Gale Sayers

Gale Sayers and Brian Piccolo combined for 1,197 yards in 14 games in 1967.  It is a shame that those two guys did not get to spend more time in the same backfield.

1998 Atlanta Falcons Jamal Anderson

Jamal Anderson rushed for 1,846 yards and 14 touchdowns in 1998.  He led the Falcons all the way to the Super Bowl that season.

1986 Los Angeles Rams Eric Dickerson

Eric Dickerson had his second-best season in 1986 when he rushed for 1,821 yards.  The Rams also had Barry Redden who rushed for 467 yards that season.

1985 Los Angeles Raiders Marcus Allen

Marcus Allen had a really nice season in 1985 when he carried the ball 380 times for 1,759 yards.  The former Heisman winner also scored 11 rushing touchdowns that season.

1985 Atlanta Falcons RB Gerald Riggins

Gerald Riggs headlined a dangerous Falcons rushing attack in 1985.  He had 1,719 yards, and David Archer had 347 to combine for 2,066 yards.

2000 Indianapolis Colts Edgerrin James

The Colts traded Marshall Faulk and drafted Edgerrin James.  A lot of people thought that was a huge mistake, but James had some nice years of his own.  In 2000 he ran for 1,709 yards and caught 63 passes for 594 yards.

2004 New York Jets Curtis Martin

Curtis Martin had much better numbers than most people realize.  In 2004 he rushed for 1,697 yards.  The Jets also got some solid numbers from LaMont Jordan that year.  He added 479 of his own.

2006 San Francisco 49ers Frank Gore

Frank Gore is off to a slow start this season, but he put up some really good numbers in 2006.  That year he rushed for 1,695 yards on 312 carries.

1981 New Orleans Saints George Rogers

Rogers rushed for 1,674 yards in 1981 for the New Orleans Saints.  That was a really good number in any season but it was especially good for Rogers to attain as a rookie.

2009 Tennessee Titans Chris Johnson

Chris Johnson became one of six running backs in the history of the NFL to rush for 2,000 yards in 2009.  He also set the single-season record for yards from scrimmage in that season with 2,509. 

1981 Dallas Cowboys Tony Dorsett

Tony Dorsett was a stud for the Cowboys for a decade.  He had his best season in 1981 when he rushed for 1,646 yards.  

Ron Springs also had 625 yards and 10 touchdowns that season.