Tag: rushing yards

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson is likely to surpass Chiefs Patrick Mahomes in postseason category

Baltimore #Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is likely to surpass Kansas City #Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in postseason category | @EdEastonJr

The NFL postseason gets underway this weekend. The Wild Card playoffs feature intriguing matchups and potential opponents for the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round. The Baltimore Ravens, led by MVP candidate Lamar Jackson, host their AFC North rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers, in a matchup that could see the versatile quarterback achieve another milestone.

Jackson is among the top five quarterbacks in all-time NFL postseason rushing yards. Four top five players, including Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, are active in the 2024 postseason. Jackson only needs four rushing yards to move past Mahomes, who sits in fourth place with 524 yards, a total that will likely be back and forth as long as their team’s success continues.

Ravens tight end Mark Andrews can also match Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce with a touchdown reception on Saturday. He can become the fourth tight end all-time with a touchdown reception in at least seven consecutive games, including the postseason, joining Kelce, Jimmy Graham, and Rob Gronkowski.

https://www.instagram.com/nflonprime/p/DEd1UpsT0RM/?hl=en

Mahomes can regain his rushing yards spot during the Divisional Round while the Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen continues to lead all active quarterbacks. Steve Young holds the top spot all-time with 594 yards during his Hall of Fame career.

Steelers’ defense makes history for all the wrong reasons vs Ravens

Derrick Henry’s 162-yard rushing performance broke records, marking the most yards by a Ravens RB against the Steelers defense.

While the 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers defense has enjoyed tremendous success throughout the season, Week 16’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens will be forever etched in history—at the expense of the Black and Gold.

Heading into the contest, the Pittsburgh Steelers boasted one of the NFL’s best run defenses, but Ravens RB Derrick Henry more than put them to the test—rushing for 162 yards on 24 attempts.

Henry’s Week 16 performance against the Steel City was not only dominant but also historic, as no other Ravens player had ever rushed for more yards against any Steelers defense.

To play devil’s advocate, the Pittsburgh Steelers faced one of the NFL’s greatest running backs of all-time in Henry—who is in the midst of his greatest season to date—while also missing one of the league’s best run defenders, DeShon Elliott, who was sidelined with a hamstring injury.

It is not only understandable why Henry set the Ravens’ rushing record against the Steelers, but it is also a valuable lesson during the regular season—allowing the defense to hone their craft ahead of a potential deep playoff run.

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Alvin Kamara is putting the team on his back in a unique 2024 season

Alvin Kamara is the only player in the NFL this season leading his team in both rushing yards and receiving yards. His extension only looks better by the day:

The NFL in recent years has been heavily driven by the wide receiver market, with the top two non-quarterback salaries for the 2024 season being Justin Jefferson at $35 million and CeeDee Lamb at $34 million. This is because the receiving and passing game has become more and more utilized in recent years, and receivers have become even more valuable at the top end.

However, some running backs stand out among the crowd as valuable in both the ground game and the receiving game, most notably Christian McCaffrey in recent years, as well as New Orleans Saints star Alvin Kamara.

Kamara had a tough few years with the injuries he had piling up, and an extension seemed far away at best. Yet, in 2024, he has shown exactly why he deserved and got one. He is the only player in the NFL entering Week 15 to lead his team in both rushing and receiving yards in 2024, with 485 receiving yards and 938 rushing yards.

He is first in the league in receiving yards at the RB position as well, showing how premier this season has been for him. All of that is great, but he has also done it with 0 fumbles, one of only three running backs in the top-10 for rushing yards to accomplish that this year, alongside Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson.

With Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and Bub Means all going down from the receiver room, someone needed to step up and handle the receiving part of the offense, and Kamara has done so without a doubt.

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Alvin Kamara set to hit an important new milestone in Week 14

Alvin Kamara is only 39 yards away from setting a new single-season high in rushing yards. He’s on pace for his first 1,000-yard season, too:

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara is on pace to set a new single-season high in rushing yards against the New York Giants this Sunday. He set his previous personal-best back in 2020, when Kamara rushed for 932 yards. That was by far the best season of his career. He balanced a heavy workload and rare explosiveness, while also delivering the most touchdowns in the league (16).

The Saints haven’t been able to surround Kamara with the best pieces this season due to injuries. The offseason addition of Klint Kubiak, however, has clearly paid off. Kubiak’s new run scheme was one of the biggest selling points of the hire.

Kamara has produced despite injuries to blockers Erik McCoy, Cesar Ruiz and Lucas Patrick. Taysom Hill was the best secondary running threat. He’s missed time throughout the season and Jamaal Williams hasn’t been much help. The offense has ran through and leaned on Kamara all season, and he’s more than delivered. He’s up to 894 rushing yards through just 12 games.

With another 39 yards, Kamara will have his highest rushing total of his career and is likely going to surpass the 1,000-yard mark for the first time ever. He may achieve that in Week 14, as well, with a strong performance. He’s averaging 74.5 yards per game on the ground this season and just put up 112 on the Los Angeles Rams, the fifth-ranked defense in rushing yards allowed per game (144.2). The fourth-ranked squad is Kamara’s next opponent, the New York Giants, who have averaged 145.8 yards per game. That’s looking like a favorable matchup.

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Sorry, Baltimore: Steelers know exactly how to stop Derrick Henry

Pittsburgh has consistently contained Derrick Henry, with wins over him in 2017, 2020, and 2023—a testament to their resilience.

King Henry may rule in Baltimore, but he has bowed several times to the impressive display of determination and resilience that the Steel City represents. The Pittsburgh Steelers have faced a Derrick Henry-led offense three times during his career—in 2017, 2020, and 2023—and emerged victorious each time.

In 2017, the Pittsburgh defense limited Henry to 32 rushing yards on 7 attempts. In 2020—a season many consider one of the greatest by a running back, with Henry averaging 5.4 yards per carry on 378 attempts, rushing for 2,027 yards, and scoring 17 rushing touchdowns—the Steelers once again tamed the king in their Week 7 matchup with the Titans, holding him to just 75 yards on 20 attempts. When the teams met again in 2023, Pittsburgh held Henry to the same 75 rushing yards.

The Baltimore-based king is one of the greatest running backs of his era, but his lack of production speaks volumes about HC Mike Tomlin’s ability to scheme effectively and prevent him from taking over the game. While Henry is an elite player in the NFL, make no mistake: just like the Baltimore Ravens over the past few seasons, Pittsburgh will have his number once again in Week 11.

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WATCH: Alvin Kamara breaks the all-time Saints rushing yards record

WATCH: New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara breaks the all-time franchise record for rushing yards

The New Orleans Saints have a new franchise leader in all-time rushing yards, and it is Alvin Kamara. Kamara came into the Week 10 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons only 12 yards away from taking the record away from his former teammate Mark Ingram, and on the first two rushes of the game was able to accrue over that amount to take it for himself.

Kamara has previously set the franchise record for rushing touchdowns and attempts, and is nearing the top five in receiving yards for the Saints where he is only 205 yards behind Jimmy Graham for sixth place. Now he accrues one more record for his long-list of achievements, and will continue to build the gap in the coming years.

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Alvin Kamara becomes all-time leading rusher in Saints history

It’s official. Alvin Kamara is now the all-time leading rusher in New Orleans Saints history after a strong start against the Atlanta Falcons:


New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara entered Week 10 trailing 11 yards behind former teammate Mark Ingram for the franchise lead in rushing yards all-time. After a strong start start by Kamara on runs of 11 and 7 yards, he was able to set the record at only 29 years old. He had previously passed Ingram in rushing touchdowns back in December of 2023 and entered the game seventh in franchise receiving yards behind Jimmy Graham.

Kamara’s recent extension will give him even more time to pull away in the lead of the records he already holds, and also give him the opportunity to chase any he may not already have. With his five Pro Bowl appearances to date, he may also be on pace for a sixth in 2024 as he has been exceptional for the Saints so far, being one of the few productive players this year for New Orleans.

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Alvin Kamara credits former teammate who chose to ‘show me the way’

As Alvin Kamara prepares to pass Mark Ingram II as the Saints’ all-time leading rusher, he reflected on how much Ingram means to him:

Barring anything unforeseen, Alvin Kamara will be the New Orleans Saints all-time leading rusher by Monday morning.

The team won’t have to try hard to get him the record. If the past two weeks are any indication, Kamara will cross that threshold on his first carry. He opened the last two games with runs of 20 or more yards.

Kamara’s only 12 yards away from toppling Mark Ingram II’s record set in 2021. He said his former teammate told him after last week’s game, “Good thing you can break it at home.” It’s something Ingram didn’t have the chance to do. He finished a home game against the Falcons just short of the record. Kamara will break the record against the Falcons at home.

The duo were teammates in 2017 and 2018 then again in 2021 and 2022. Their joint interviews were some of that era’s highlights.

Their friendship remains strong even after Ingram’s retirement, and Kamara spoke about how much Ingram meant to his career.

Kamara gives a lot of credit to Ingram for helping him become the player and professional he is today. “That was my example. Thank God he was in my room. I had an example right there, right next to me to guide me and show me the way.”

Fast forward seven years and Kamara has the opportunity to take down Ingram’s example:  “It’s definitely a full circle moment because I came in, young buck. He gave everything to me, poured into me.”

The two leading rushers in Saints history shared the backfield for four seasons. That’s the definition of passing the torch.

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Alvin Kamara moved up to second among Saints’ all-time rushing yards leaders

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara surpassed Deuce McAllister in Week 3 to rank second among the Saints’ all-time rushing yards leaders:

The New Orleans Saints’ 15-12 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3 somewhat overshadowed some of the positive things that had happened, including Tyrann Mathieu tying for second place with his 35th interception among active players. It’s tough to say much was positive for the offense when they only scored a dozen points, but some individuals did pass important milestones.

One of them was Alvin Kamara surpassing Deuce McAllister in career rushing yards with the Saints, moving him up to second behind his old teammate Mark Ingram II. Kamara entered the game trailing McAllister  by 69 rushing yards, and with 87 yards on the ground, he ended the day 18 yards ahead.

Even more impressively, Kamara did this on 53 fewer rushing attempts than McAllister. He has a decent margin remaining to get up to first place, however, with Ingram sitting at exactly 6,500 rushing yards for New Orleans, while Kamara checks in at 6,114. For Kamara to reach Ingram on the same amount of rushing attempts, he would need to average around 5.1 yards per carry on his next 75 attempts, which is pretty unreasonable given his hot start to the season. With only 386 more yards to go, he could feasibly find his way to the top of the list this season however, which is a fun stat to keep an eye on throughout the year.

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Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco is NFL’s fifth-leading rusher

#Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco ranks fifth in the NFL for rushing yards after a huge performance against the #Packers in Week 13.

The Kansas City Chiefs offense has taken a step back in 2023 in terms of passing production, but as the team seeks to assemble a more well-rounded attack, running back Isiah Pacheco is helping to reinvent head coach Andy Reid’s strategies.

After putting together a 110-yard rushing performance against the Green Bay Packers in Week 13, Pacheco is the NFL’s fifth-leading rusher.

This remarkable achievement is even more impressive than it may seem on the surface, given Pacheco’s relatively limited role in Reid’s offense. The veteran playcaller has seemed hesitant to stick with the ground game at times in 2023, but after Pacheco’s exceptional performance against Green Bay, things may start to change.

Patrick Mahomes hasn’t quite looked like himself lately, and Kansas City needs a dynamic threat to turn to when the passing game can’t produce. Expect Pacheco to have his number called more often as Reid seeks to fix the Chiefs’ offensive woes before January’s AFC playoffs.