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In the era of passing, rushing is often underrated. But having a running back who can scatter the field, either through brute force, elusive running, or both, is as vital today as it ever was.
Rushing gives an outlet when the passing game stalls. It mixes things up and keeps the defense guessing. And most importantly, it adds variation to the sport and keeps the fans interested. There are few sights as magical as seeing a running back weaving in and out of challenges or powering over defenders to score a rushing touchdown.
The NFL has seen many such great running backs, and Jonathan Taylor is putting his name firmly in the mix to be considered one of them. After scoring his first rushing touchdown against the Houston Texans in Week 13 of the 2021 NFL season, he became just the fifth running back to score a rushing touchdown in ten consecutive games. We profile all the running backs who have hit this rushing touchdown mark.
The stalwarts of the rushing game
#5 - Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts, 2021 - 10 games
Jonathan Taylor is having the season of his life in 2021. After not scoring a single rushing touchdown in the first three games of the season, he has since caught fire and has scored 18 touchdowns in the next 10 games, 16 of which were rushing touchdowns.
That included a monster performance in Week 11 against the top-rated Buffalo Bills defense, where he had four rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown. The way he is playing, it is hard not to see him become the NFL MVP this season. Such consistency in rushing has been matched by few in the NFL, and those that have are included in this list.
#4 - Priest Holmes, Kansas City Chiefs, 2002 - 11 games
When we talk of undrafted free agents who made it big, we think of quarterbacks like Kurt Warner, often forgetting the likes of Priest Holmes, who made it big after being initially overlooked. Holmes signed with the Baltimore Ravens in 1997 and won Super Bowl XXXV with them.
But it was only after he moved to the Kansas City Chiefs that he became a bonafide rushing superstar. It was in 2002 and 2003 that he found his greatest success. He scored rushing touchdowns in 11 straight games and ended the season with 1,615 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns in 2002. In 2003, he went one better by scoring 27 touchdowns and finished as the rushing touchdowns leader in consecutive seasons. In 2002, he was also named Offensive Player of the Year.
Some more RBs with rushing touchdowns in 10 consecutive games
#3 - Emmitt Smith, Dallas Cowboys, 1995 - 11 games
When it comes to rushing, no one did it better than Emitt Smith. He still remains the NFL's all-time leading rusher with 18,355 yards and 164 rushing touchdowns. His greatest season was undoubtedly in 1993, when he won the Super Bowl, the Super Bowl MVP award and the league MVP award.
But in terms of consistency, it is hard to top his performance in the 1995 season. He scored in 11 straight games and ended the season with 25 rushing touchdowns, an NFL record at the time.
#2 - LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego Chargers, 2004 - 12 games
LaDainian Tomlinson gave early indications that he was going to be one of the greatest running backs the NFL has ever seen. While it was in 2006 and 2007 that he had his best seasons, he was still selected to the Pro Bowl in 2002, 2004 and 2005. In 2004, he tied the record with John Riggins for the most rushing touchdowns in a season when he scored in 12 straight games. During the process, he also equalled the NFL record for most consecutive touchdowns by scoring in 18 straight games.
But that was just the beginning for him. In 2006, he scored 31 touchdowns, 28 of which were rushing, and he was named the NFL MVP for that year. Such consistent rushing production also meant that he became the fastest player to reach 100 touchdowns.
#1 - John Riggins, Washington Redskins, 1983 - 12 games
The original doyen for consistent running backs has to be John Riggins. Although he began his career with the New York Jets, he found most success with the Washington Redskins after moving there in 1975. In 1980, he temporarily retired due to a contract dispute. But after he came back in 1981 for his second stint, his career really took off.
Riggins won Super Bowl XVII and was named the Super Bowl MVP. He was the NFL's rushing touchdown leader in 1983 and 1984. In the 1983 season, he was selected to the All Pro first team. It was during this season that he set the record for 12 consecutive games with a rushing touchdown, which has since only been matched but never bettered.
