Week 15 Report Card for All 32 Starting Tailbacks

Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Tom Brady are tearing through the NFL record books this season. Toss in record-setting rookie Cam Newton as well as some fine performances from Ben Roethlisberger, Matt Ryan and Matthew Stafford and the quarterback play in today’s NFL has reached epic proportions.

Although it may be a quarterback-driven league, the NFL still boast some superb running backs.

And since every head coach preaches the importance of the running game, that will never change.

So how did each of the NFL’s starting running backs do in Week 15? Check inside to find out.

Denver Broncos: Willis McGahee

Stats: 7 carries, 70 yards

Grade: B

I'd rather give McGahee an "I" for "incomplete" because early in the game, when the Broncos took control McGahee was a key contributor before he left the game with a leg injury.

On that opening touchdown march he carried the ball four times for 29 yards then carried it 29 more yards on the first play of the next possession, setting up the Broncos second score.

And to his credit, he returned in the third quarter, but he must have been limited because during the entire second half he only touched the ball twice. 

Kansas City Chiefs: Thomas Jones

Stats: 15 carries, 48 yards; 1 catch, 27 yards

Grade: B+

At this late stage of his career, Jones is obviously a better back when he's paired with another excellent runner: that was the case with the Jets when he had Shonn Greene and last year with Jamaal Charles.

And even though Jackie Battle has been a nice addition to the Chiefs Jones didn't put up superior stats. 

Nevertheless, he did have a big catch and run on the game's opening drive, and with the game on the line, he had back-to-back carries late in the fourth quarter that picked up a combined 13 yards and basically allowed the Chiefs to salt away one of the bigger upsets in the 2011 season.

Oakland Raiders: Michael Bush

Stats: 18 carries, 77 yards; 7 catches, 62 yards

Grade: B

Bush had a solid day, especially when you factor in at the Lions defensive line that features some tremendous talent.

Throw in the boost he gave to the Raiders passing game--which is so dependent on the deep ball that it opens things up underneath--and Bush did another fine job stepping in for the injured Darren McFadden. (On a side note, given the type of injury to McFadden and the possibility it will be a long-term problem, the Raiders really need to think about locking Bush up this offseason.) 

But in the end, Bush's day was for naught...maybe if he was out there to tackle Calvin Johnson he could have received an "A."

San Diego Chargers: Ryan Mathews

Stats: 26 carries, 90 yards, 2 TD; 2 catches, 19 yards

Grade: A

The Chargers still do live and die by the way that Phillip Rivers plays. That's not going to change anytime soon. 

But when Ryan Mathews is playing as well has the last month, maybe the Chargers can actually come back and win the AFC West.

Mathews really isn't the explosive runner who is going to break through for an 80-yard TD. But he doesn't have to when he's as consistent as he was Sunday night. He alone picked up five first downs on the ground. 

Houston Texans: Arian Foster

Stats: 16 carries, 109 yards, 1 TD; 5 catches, 58 yards

Grade: A-

Anytime a running back comes out of nowhere to win (or come close to winning) the rushing title, you have to worry about a flame-out or the one-year-wonder element: Jamal Anderson in 1998, Natrone Means in 1994, Barry Foster in 1992, Charles White in 1987, and so on.

But that clearly is not the case with Foster, who I think is actually having a better season this year than he did in 2010 when he won the rushing title.

Despite his injuries and those to the other stars on the offense, he's been a tremendous ball carries and far more explosive out of the backfield.

Today was a prime example. Although they lost, Foster carried the ball very efficiently and was a great second option for rookie T.J. Yates. In short, don't lay this bad home defeat at the feet of Foster. 

Indianapolis Colts: Joseph Addai

Stats: 11 carries, 20 yards; 2 catches, 7 yards

Grade: D

Donald Brown completely overshadowed Addai today, rushing for 161 yards including that 80-yard game-sealing touchdown.

But Addai started the game: he was given the first four Colts rushes.

And it was a pretty ugly day for the former first round pick: four of his 11 carries went for no yards or a negative play. But he, and the rest of the organization probably couldn't care less now that they've avoided joining the 2008 Lions as the only team to tank an entire 16-game season. 

Jacksonville Jaguars: Maurice Jones-Drew

Stats: 17 carries, 112 yards; 1 catch, 1 yard

Grade: A

I know that Jones-Drew didn't lead the NFL in rushing this week: Reggie Bush and Donald Brown had far more yards. And even though Jones-Drew topped the 100-yard mark fourth time this year, a huge chunk of those yards came when the game was already way out of control.

But every week, Jones-Drew is behind the eight ball so for him to do anything positive--let alone reach the century-mark--is outstanding. 

Whoever the opponent is, they know that Jones-Drew will be the Jags first, second, and third option: they have a rookie quarterback, no receiving options, and not much else to rely on. 

So to play fairly well on Thursday against a very good Atlanta run defense deserves top marks. 

Tennessee Titans: Chris Johnson

Stats: 15 carries, 55 yards; 8 catches, 54 yards

Grade: B

Sure Johnson's contribution in the air was a nice boost: the Titans receiving corps is depleted and Matt Hasselbeck is nursing an injury. But the Titans caved and gave Johnson that huge contract this preseason for him to carry the football and provide the Titans a running game.

And for a second straight year he didn't. And for a second straight week the Titans lost a game they really needed to win.

But he does deserve a bit of credit for that 35-yard scamper in the third quarter set up the touchdown that helped keep the Titans in the game. 

Baltimore Ravens: Ray Rice

Stats: 10 carries, 57 yards; 9 catches, 55 yards

Grade: C

I thought the Ravens had figured out the strategy for winning games: running Ray Rice a ton. The lost a game in Seattle they shouldn't have: Rice had five carries. Since then, he's carried the ball 20-plus times and the Ravens won every game. 

Then came the trip to San Diego: apparently Cam Cameron forgot the game plan.....and the numbers he put up through the air are not what they had in mind. 

I really don't want to fault Rice, but since I can't give Cameron a grade, he'll take the blame. Besides, if you take away his 22 yard gain on the game's opening play, his stats were very pedestrian. 

Cincinnati Bengals: Cedric Benson

Stats: 22 carries, 76 yards, 1 TD; 1 catch, 11 yards

Grade: C-

Benson may not have topped the sexier single-game landmark of triple-digit yards, but he did meet an arguably more important goal of 20-plus carries.

When you've got a rookie quarterback and an extremely young crop of pass catchers, no matter how talented they all are, it's important to have a ball carrier who can be relied on for carries and creating second-and-six instead of second-and-nine. And Benson did that today: 13 of those 22 carries went for four-or-more yards. 

But, of course the flip side to Benson's day is the fact that he fumbled the ball three times. None resulted in a turnover, but because the Bengals season was on the line today, that's a major faux pas.  

Cleveland Browns: Peyton Hillis

Stats: 26 carries, 99 yards, 1 TD; 1 catch, 9 yards

Grade: A+

Hillis was borderline spectacular today.

The Browns offense was already pretty bad even before Colt McCoy was knocked out of the lineup: they don't have any real playmakers. So replacing McCoy with Seneca Wallace only made it more likely that Hillis would struggle, like he has several times this season.

But today, none of that mattered. He repeatedly ate up yardage which allowed Wallace to get the ball downfield to Greg Little and take that third quarter lead. 

Besides, it's not his fault that Pat Shurmer decided to give up on the running game. Ahead 17-7 the Browns called pass plays on seven of eight plays to start the final period and ran the ball just once in overtime. Naturally, they lost 20-17. 

Pittsburgh Steelers: Rashard Mendenhall (CUMULATIVE GRADE)

NOTE: Pittsburgh played Monday night after this story was published. This is a cumulative grade for the season.

Stats: 187 carries, 710 yards, 8 TD; 13 catches, 87 yards

Grade: B

If you've seen any broadcasts of the Steelers in 2011--or for the past few years--you've heard at least one announcer deliver some rendition of the "these aren't you're father's Steelers"....meaning the Steelers are now a pass-first offense. 

Certainly part of that is Ben Roethlisberger's great play and the great collection of young receivers, but I think Mendenhall's limitations are another part of that. He's has had issues with durability and fumbling, leading to the consensus that he's a good--not great--running back, who has had some big games.

He's not in the same class as Adrian Peterson, Arian Foster, Ray Rice, Chris Johnson, Maurice Jones-Drew, or even a LeSean McCoy, Michael Turner, or Frank Gore.

Still, he'll have an opportunity to change that perception this Monday Night with Maurkice Pouncey out and perhaps Ben Roethlisberger as well.

Buffalo Bills: C.J. Spiller

Stats: 12 carries, 91 yards, 1 TD; 9 catches, 76 yards, 1 TD 

Grade: A 

Considering the weather and the struggles of Ryan Fitzpatrick and the injury to Mat Moore we all should have known it would be a big day for running backs in Buffalo.

And both starting backs played a great game.

Spiller is starting to come into his own with the injury to Fred Jackson and he's proving well-worth that top-10 draft choice. 

Even more so than the near-100-yard day on the ground, it was his contribution in the passing game that earns him the A-grade. The stats (leading the team in receptions, second in yardage) were great, but the fact that he was so critical in the 4th quarter--a touchdown grab and that 14-yard pickup on a screen pass late in the game--gives Bills fans some much-needed hope for next year. 

Miami Dolphins: Reggie Bush

Stats: 25 carries, 203 yards; 1 TD; 1 catch, 6 yards

Grade: A

Now don't go too gaga over the stats: more than one-third of his yardage total came on one play, a 76-yard scamper through a porous Bills run defense.

Still, you're really got to be impressed with Bush's effort. He repeatedly grabbed enough yards to move the chains, something they really needed in the snow with Matt Moore on the mend. 

If Bush can consistently run the ball the way he has in the last two months (averaging well over 100 yards on the ground since Week 7) than he and Daniel Thomas can be a remarkable duo in 2012, regardless of who their head coach is. 

New England Patriots: BenJarvus Green-Ellis

Stats: 10 carries, 17 yards, 1 TD; 2 catches, 32 yards

Grade: C-

The Patriots have a running back by-committee system just like the Saints do, but it's not really comparable. Unlike the Saints, the Patriots have a "first" string running back in Green-Ellis, while Danny Woodhead, Stevan Ridley, and Kevin Faulk are more complementary players....although for anyone to carry the ball more than 15 or so times in a game is unlikely.

But even if he splits duties with the other backs, you'd hope for a little more out of Green-Ellis than 1.7 yards per carry. And the hole on that touchdown run was enormous. 

At least he contributed some in the passing game. 

New York Jets: Shonn Greene

Stats: 18 carries, 73 yards; 1 catch, 0 yards

Grade: C

Not a great day to be a New York Jet or Giants and the two club's starting tail backs had eerily similar afternoons.

Like Ahmad Bradshaw, Green had pretty decent overall stats, but the bulk of them (four carries, 33 yards) came on the Jets' first drive. After that opening drive touchdown, he was limited to very little, just like the rest of the Jets offense. 

When you fall behind that early, the opportunities to run the ball and run it efficiently are few and far between.

Arizona Cardinals: Beanie Wells

Stats: 15 carries, 51 yards, 1 TD; 1 catch 1 TD

Grade: C

Wells was kept under wraps throughout most of the game and although he scored the Cardinals critical touchdown in the fourth quarter his longest run of the day was just eight yards.

And when Larry Fitzgerald is limited to just three yards, you'd figure there would be a few more cracks in the defense for Wells to exploit. 

That didn't really happen, but since the Cards are actually in the race for a wild card spot, who really cares?

St. Louis Rams: Steven Jackson

Stats: 18 carries, 71 yards, 9 catches, 72 yards

Grade: B+

When thinking about the more multi-talented, dual-threat running backs in today's NFL, Steven Jackson doesn't really crop up. That's a bit of an oversight, considering the fact that he once grabbed 90 passes in a season and is one of the team's leaders in receptions.

Today was a perfect example of Jackson's versatility. In addition to running the ball with his customary grit, he was a great outlet receiver for a needy Kellen Clemens.

It's pretty sad that Jackson--who will soon complete his seventh-consecutive 1,000-yards season--is stuck in St. Louis where no one is really appreciating his talents. 

San Francisco 49ers: Frank Gore (CUMULATIVE GRADE)

NOTE: San Francisco played Monday night after this story was published. This is a cumulative grade for the season.

Stats: 234 carries, 1,054 yards, 6 TD

Grade: A

If it weren't for all these ridiculous quarterback seasons--Brees, Brady, Rodgers, Newton, even Tebow, etc--Gore should really be considered one of the favorites for the MVP. 

Maybe he's not "the best" running back in football: that's got to be Adrian Peterson or Arian Foster or Chris Johnson. But he is such an important part of that team that without him, 49ers offense would not be in line for a second-seed and first round bye.

His numbers have dipped a little bit since that awesome stretch in October, but he's still the workhorse that Alex Smith desperately needs. 

Gore versus the Steelers fine run defense will be an interesting matchup.

Seattle Seahawks: Marshawn Lynch

Stats: 20 carries, 42 yards, 2 TD; 2 catches, 5 yards

Grade: C

These aren't fantasy football grades: I'm not going to give Lynch an "A" just because he scored two goal line touchdowns. In fact, his total yards on the ground against Chicago were more than one-half any total he posted in the previous six weeks.

After all, he averaged barely two yards per rush and in the second half, he had almost as many negative rushes as positive. 

But we should give the guy a break: since Week 5 he's been arguably the best running back in the NFL. 

Atlanta Falcons: Michael Turner

Stats: 19 carries, 61 yards, 1 TD, 2 catches, 4 yards

Grade: B

Turner didn't top the 100-yard mark and he was completely overshadowed by the Falcons awesome pass catching duo, Roddy White and Julio Jones.

But his legs helped the Falcons jump out to the early advantage the led to the huge blowout of Jacksonville.

On their first two drives of the game, Atlanta scored touchdowns with Turner carrying the ball six times for 23 yards. that set a tone that the Falcons used to dominate. 

Carolina Panthers: DeAngelo Williams

Stats: 15 carries, 56 yards, 1 TD

Grade: B

I probably should give the title of "Starting Running Back" to Cam Newton--and that's not the same type of insult Brian Urlacher delivered about Tim Tebow--because he's such a vital piece of the running game.

But Williams had another above-average day carrying the ball for the Panthers....probably not worthy of the $5 million per season, but still very good.

When the Texans cut the Panthers lead to just eight in the fourth quarter, Williams carried the ball four times for 32 yards and a touchdown to seal the upset win. 

New Orleans Saints: Pierre Thomas

Stats: 8 carries, 44 yards, 1 TD; 2 catches, 41 yards

Grade: C

Of all the teams on this list, the Saints are by far the most difficult to deliver a single grade: they really don't have a player you'd label the "Starting Running Back." 

Thomas, Chris Ivory, Darren Sproles, and (when he's healthy) Mark Ingram, are really all worthy of that title. But since Thomas is the senior-most running back and did take the first carry of the game for the Saints, I'll label him the defacto starter.

So, by conventional "starting running back" standards, he had customarily mediocre day. But since he's part of a running back by-committee backfield and plays in an offense with Drew Brees at the helm, he's should probably be graded on a curve. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: LeGarrette Blount

Stats: 9 carries, 21 yards

Grade: D

The Buccaneers are just a mess right now and although I don't think it's necessarily Blount's fault, that doesn't mean he deserve high marks.

Sure, considering the problems at quarterback, the lack of play makers in the passing game, and an all around below-average club, everytime Blount carries the ball it's an uphill climb. And considering how quickly they fell behind against Dallas, Blount wasn't going to get many touches. 

But that didn't necessarily stop Maurice Jones-Drew on Thursday in Atlanta. 

Chicago Bears: Marion Barber

Stats: 11 carries, 33 yards

Grade: D

I suppose anything Barber did on Sunday--short of fumbling in overtime or running out of bounds when it was borderline-disastrous--should earn a decent grade. 

Still, Barber did just about nothing today and saw the bulk of the carries go to Kahlil Bell, who carried the ball in crunch time. 

As unimpressive as the 33-yard total looks on his stat sheet, the fact that his longest gain was just six yards is worse. Matt Forte had few problems running behind that line, and--as it appears--neither does Bell. 

Detroit Lions: Kevin Smith

Stats: 15 carries, 43 yards

Grade: D

I guess when Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson can put up points seemingly at will, it doesn't really matter what you get out of the running game.

Still, maybe the Lions wouldn't have found themselves in such a tough spot--behind 27-14 midway though the fourth quarter--if their running game could have been more productive.

Clearly Detroit's bread and butter is the passing game and the fact that Smith is out there after being signed off the street shows that they don't expect too much from the rushing attack, but they need a bit more the next two weeks to earn that Wild Card spot.  

Green Bay Packers: Ryan Grant

Stats: 12 carries, 66 yards, 3 catches, 35 yards

Grade: C

Grant made a few key plays early in the game, racking up three first downs for the Packers. He also pulled in a few passes that helped Green Bay move the chains.

But as the game progressed the opportunities for him to carry the ball dwindled and with it the chance to build up the stats. And when he did carry the ball in the second half, he didn't pick up much, aside from that first carry of the third quarter.

Still, he does deserve some credit for taking on a larger role in the offense with James Starks being sidelined. 

Minnesota Vikings: Adrian Peterson

Stats: 10 carries, 60 yards, 

Grade: B

Peterson didn't have one of his typical triple-digit days where he wore down the opposition. But he also didn't play a full game and was returning from a reasonably long hiatus. 

So overall, maybe he deserves an "I" for "incomplete." 

But based on the (roughly) two-and-a-half quarters he played, Peterson was pretty good, especially considering that the deck was stacked against him with the Christian Ponder vs. Drew Brees matchup. 

Dallas Cowboys: Felix Jones

Stats: 22 carries, 108 yards; 3 catches, 23 yards

Grade: B

As DeMarco Murray started to emerge as a real stud, Jones was fast becoming a punch line, but Murray's injury put Jones back in the starting/workhorse role and he made the most of it.

He consistently recorded big gains on first down, which forced the Bucs to key in on the running game, allowing Tony Romo to throw the ball downfield, something that obviously paid off. 

The only thing that Jason Garrett couldn't be happy about: Jones' fumble on the opening drive. Against a better team, that kind of mistake might have changed the complexion of the game. 

New York Giants: Ahmad Bradshaw

Stats: 10 carries, 58 yards, 1 TD; 3 catches, 21 yards 

Grade: B-

Ughhh, what to say about the New York Giants and their performance against Washington. 

Sure Bradshaw had pretty good numbers, averaging over six yards every time he touched the ball. But what exactly did it produce? Nothing in the first half.

Then again, when Kevin Gilbride did continuously put the ball in Bradshaw's hands--during that final drive of the game--he put up yards and scored the Giants lone touchdown.

But, let's be honest, that score and all those yards were completely meaningless, so it's hard to give them much weight. 

Philadelphia Eagles: LeSean McCoy

Stats: 18 carries, 102 yards, 3 TD; 2 catches, -5 yards

Grade: A

In the slide on Marshawn Lynch I said that I was not awarding a tremendous grade simply because he racked up a pair of short-yardage touchdowns.

But giving McCoy an "A" does not create a double-standard.

Not only were two of McCoy's scores from beyond short-yardage, but he was consistent and recorded his 100-plus yards in essentially three quarters of play.

If there's going to be any silver lining in the Eagles (most likely) playoff-less season, it's the fact that McCoy could become the first ever Eagle in 62 years to win the NFL rushing title. 

Washington Redskins: Roy Helu

Stats: 23 carries, 53 yards; 3 carries, 16 yards

Grade: B

Helu didn't do anything spectacular during the Redskins remarkable thumping of the Giants in East Rutherford: his longest carry was just eight yards. 

But looking closer at the raw numbers, he had a pretty solid day: anytime you carry the ball more than 20 times in a game, no matter how many yards you collect, it's usually a productive day. And for running-game guru Mike Shanahan to continually show faith in his rookie from Nebraska shows a lot. 

Of course, the same might soon be true about Shanahan's other rookie from Penn State, Evan Royster.