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The NFL's elite running backs are separating themselves on the rushing leaderboard after five weeks of the 2021 NFL season.
The gap is such that the league's leading runner has more than double the amount of ground yards than any player outside of the top 10. Here we look at the top five in rushing yards through Week 5.
NFL Stat leaders: Which players lead the league in rushing yards after Week 5?
#5 – Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals – 386 yards
The Cincinnati Bengals nearly produced one of the upsets of the 2021 season against the Green Bay Packers in Week 5, and they almost did so without a major contribution from their star running back Joe Mixon, who lost ground in the top five rushing yards charts.
Mixon was able to contribute with 33 yards off his 10 rushing attempts, including an eight-yard TD run to tie the game with less than four minutes remaining, but the star runner split carries with Samaje Perine while he nursed an ankle injury during the 25-22 overtime loss.
#4 – James Robinson, Jacksonville Jaguars – 387 yards
James Robinson is showing he is no one-season sensation. After the undrafted rusher put up 1,000 yards in his rookie season, Robinson made it 387 yards for the year with another 149 yards and a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans in Week 5. Robinson is on track to top his first-year rushing total. He is currently on pace for 1,238 yards through 16 games.
#3 – Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys – 452 yards
Talk of a timeshare between Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard was shown to be very much overblown as the Dallas Cowboys took down NFC East rivals the New York Giants, 44-20. Zeke rumbled for 110 yards and a touchdown off 21 carries and a receiving TD, while his sidekick Pollard added another 75 yards off 14 totes.
#2 – Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns – 523 yards
The Cleveland Browns fell in a Week 5 shootout by a score of 47-42 against the Los Angeles Chargers, but the Browns were doing just as much damage on the ground as they were doing in the air.
The Browns' one-two punch of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt produced 222 rushing yards and three touchdowns, with Chubb topping up his season tally with 161 yards that included a 52-yard TD. While Baker Mayfield threw for more than 300 yards, this offense is very much built around Chubb and the running back delivered, with 7.7 yards per attempt.
#1 – Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans – 640 yards
The 2019 and 2020 rushing champion, Derrick Henry, is on track to become the first man to record back-to-back 2,000 yards seasons after a 130-yard, three touchdown effort in the Tennessee Titans' 37-19 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Going into Week 5, Henry had more yards after contact than any other rusher in the league had total yards. We are watching a once-in-a-lifetime force of nature at work.
