Tag: rushing yards

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.

Taysom Hill’s rushing success is just as effective as the ‘Tush Push’

Alvin Kamara is right. He says Taysom Hill running ability is equal to the “Tush Push,” and we’ve got the numbers to prove it:

Alvin Kamara is right. The New Orleans Saints running back gave his teammate Taysom Hill a big shoutout after their Week 9 win over the Indianapolis Colts, crediting Hill for his rushing ability — coming off a game in which Hill gained 63 yards off of just 9 carries, with Kamara not far behind (59 yards on 17 attempts).

In his postgame press conference, Kamara said that Hill “is the equivalent of the ‘Tush Push’. You know what’s coming and you can’t stop it.”

Also called the “Brotherly Shove” for its popularity with the Philadelphia Eagles offense in recent years, the play is a modified quarterback sneak that allows teammates to push the quarterback forward while blockers open up space ahead of them. Going into Week 9, the Eagles have converted a first down on 17 of their 21 attempts with this play (81.%). The rest of the NFL has a success rate of 72.7%, going 40-for-55.

And that brings us to Hill, whose success rate as a runner clocks in at 71.1%. Like other quarterbacks around the league who can make plays with their legs, he forces the defense to guard all eleven players, often forcing a moment’s hesitation that can make a big difference. Defenders still misjudge Hill’s speed in the open field and he’s one of the Saints’ best big-play threats as a rusher. His 20-yard touchdown run against the Colts was the longest gain on the ground for the Saints this season. They call his number for good reason.

Now, we should acknowledge something before the nerds points it out for us: these are two different success rates. The “Tush Push” numbers are only considering first down conversions. For Hill, we’re using the formula from Pro Football Reference, which considers what percentage of the yards needed were gained per carry. It’s a little more complicated, but it’s also more comprehensive, and it still gets to Kamara’s point.

But if we only want to look at Hill’s first down conversions as a runner, here they are: he’s moved the sticks 15 times on 38 attempts this season (39.5%), which trails a real “Tush Push” success rate. That’s still a solid number. He’s converted the eighth-most rushing first downs among quarterbacks this season despite his limited role; he isn’t a starter like Jalen Hurts (35 first downs), Lamar Jackson (27), Russell Wilson (18), or other league leaders. As Kamara said, teams know where the ball is going when Hill has it in his hands. And they’re still failing to stop him.

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Taysom Hill currently ranks 30th in rushing yards, ahead of at least one NFL team

Taysom Hill currently ranks 30th in rushing yards among NFL players, and 31 on his own among the league’s 32 teams:

No football player makes NFL analysts and fantasy football nerds more upset for being good at his job than Taysom Hill. The New Orleans Saints playmaker does it all — he’s taken snaps at quarterback, fullback, tight end, slot receiver, and wide receiver this season while running with the punt teams and the kick returns unit. But his best work has come as a runner. Opposing defenders don’t want to try and stop him in the open field.

Hill’s 79 rushing yards rank 30th among the 171 NFL players to log at least one carry this season, at least through the first two weeks. That’s ahead of household names like Tyjae Spears (76), Najee Harris (74), Jalen Hurts (72), Josh Jacobs (46), Deebo Samuel (46), Josh Allen (43), and Dalvin Cook (40), to name just a few.

And he’s even outpaced some teams. Well, at least one team: the Minnesota Vikings, who have gained just 69 rushing yards as a team through their first two games. Hill could keep climbing. If he plays well against the Green Bay Packers this week, he just might rank 30th or 29th among the league’s 32 teams, for at least a few hours on Sunday.

The next-worst rushing teams behind Minnesota are the Pittsburgh Steelers (96) and Las Vegas Raiders (116), who play each other on Sunday night. Hill and the Saints will kick off from Green Bay at Noon CT; if you’re curious, the Vikings will be able to work on their deficit in the same time slot while hosting the Los Angeles Chargers.

What about those matchups? Hill is going to be running against a Packers run defense which ranks third-worst in the NFL (allowing 166.5 rushing yards per game), while the Vikings will see a league-average Chargers team (who allow 105.5 yards per game on the ground, which is 18th). And the Steelers rank worst in the league (193.0) with the Raiders clocking in at sixth-worst (138.5).

The Saints could really use a stronger presence on the ground, and Hill just might be their best bet to get things going. With Jamaal Williams out with an injury and Kendre Miller returning from one, he’s a good pick to lead the team in rushing yards again this week, working against a vulnerable Packers defense.

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Chargers’ 2022 season in review: Assessing the play of Los Angeles’ running backs

Chargers RB Austin Ekeler had a remarkable 2022 season.

In the modern pass-first NFL, a solid running game is something of a novelty, but the Los Angeles Chargers proved in 2022 that a throwback run-and-shoot strategy can still work. Quarterback Justin Herbert has lifted Los Angeles to new heights with his work in the passing game, but veteran running back Austin Ekeler’s effort on the ground helped immensely in the Chargers’ fight for a playoff spot.

Ekeler carried the ball 204 times in 2022 for 915 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns in what would be the most productive season of his career. However, his role as a receiver was an underrated part of his campaign as well, and he managed to add 722 receiving yards to his season total with five touchdowns through the air to boot.

Behind Ekeler, third-year back Joshua Kelley found modest success as a runner in 13 appearances, tallying 287 yards and two touchdowns. Though he only made one start on the season, Kelley carved out a legitimate role for himself in the Chargers’ offense and should prove to be valuable depth at the position moving forward.

Three other running backs carried the ball for Los Angeles as well, though they weren’t nearly as productive. Veteran Sony Michel, rookie Isaiah Spiller, and second-year back Larry Rountree combined for 166 yards on 67 carries over the course of the year, good for an average of just 2.2 yards per carry. None were able to find the end zone in 2022.

The last piece of the puzzle in the Chargers’ backfield is fullback Zander Horvath, who makes his money as a lead blocker. Though he isn’t often thought of as a key piece to Brandon Staley’s offensive attack, Horvath has proven to be an asset in the running game.

Los Angeles shouldn’t be too concerned about adding another running back in the offseason, though if they want to pursue depth at the position they may decide to take a flier on a late-round draft prospect. Their less-than-ideal situation relative to the salary cap will make it difficult to justify spending more than a minimal amount of money at the position and should serve to cement Ekeler’s role as the team’s lead back ahead of the 2023 season.

Seahawks rookie RB Kenneth Walker’s success due to ‘style-wise’ shift

Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III has recently seen even more success on the ground due to a bit of a shift in his style.

Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III has had a stellar rookie season since his promotion to starter this year. His performance on Sunday was a major factor in Seattle’s win over the Rams. Walker finished the outing with 29 carries for 114 yards, his third contest in a row with over 100 yards logged the ground.

Coach Pete Carroll thinks he knows the secret to Walker’s recent success.

“I think in the last three weeks you’ve seen style-wise a shift a little bit,” Carroll said during his Monday radio show on Seattle Sports. “He made the adjustment we asked him to about hitting stuff and it’s just helping him, and that consistency brings out the best in our offensive line, too.”

Walker has now surpassed 1000 rushing yards on the year in just 15 games played. His Week-18 campaign was evidence the little tweak in his style is paying off in dividends.

“I thought he was really, really aggressive, man,” Carroll said. “I thought he was attacking everything. He looks so explosive. I was thrilled to see when I was looking at the film to see how explosive he looked this late in the season after run like this where he has had the ball a lot.

“He’s just getting warmed up.”

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Bears are just 279 rushing yards away from setting single-season franchise record

The #Bears will break a single-season franchise record if they can gain just under 300 rushing yards over their next two games

For all the ups and downs (mostly downs) of the Chicago Bears’ 2022 campaign, their impressive ability to run the ball with Justin Fields, David Montgomery, and Khalil Herbert has been nothing short of spectacular to watch on Sundays. They currently lead the NFL in total rushing yards, and with contributions from Darrynton Evans, Trestan Ebner, and their various speedy receivers, the team has a real chance to break their single-season franchise rushing yardage record over the next two weeks.

They’ll need to average just under 150 rushing yards per game to accomplish this herculean feat, but with the talent at their disposal and lack of an established passing game, they just might be able to make it happen. Justin Fields has rushed for over 100 yards in two contests this season and has gone for more than eighty yards in four others.

Coupled with Montgomery and Herbert, Fields has a legitimate shot to help lead the Bears to a win in Week 17 with Chicago’s ground game playing a featured role when they take the field. Head coach Matt Eberflus knows that his team isn’t in contention for the playoffs and that setting a new high over a long-held franchise record could be the lipstick on this pig of his first season at the helm of the Bears organization.

The previous franchise-best mark for rushing yards in a season was set by the 1984 Bears team led by legendary running back Walter Payton, who rushed for 1,684 yards, the second-most in a single season in his career.

Though they won’t have the benefit of an all-time great running back to help push them over the 279-yard threshold in these final games, Fields’ abilities should serve the Bears well as they look to break this record. The end is in sight for Chicago’s season, and setting this high-water mark would be their most impressive team accomplishment to date.

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2022 SEC football: Rushing yards leaders following Week 1

2022 SEC football: A look at rushing yards leaders following Week 1

The 2022 Southeastern Conference football season kicked off Aug. 27 between Vanderbilt and Hawaii.

Vanderbilt defeated the Rainbow Warriors, 63-10, during Week 0 at Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Week 1 concluded for SEC teams Sunday as Florida State defeated LSU, 24-23, at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The Southeastern Conference championship game is slated for Dec. 3 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

SEC football records, standings following Week 1

2022 SEC quarterbacks: Passing yards leaders following Week 1

2022 Tennessee football: Vols’ leaders for rushing yards ahead of Week 2

Following Week 1 contests, Vols Wire looks at SEC rushing yards leaders. The top 20 SEC rushing yards leaders following Week 1 are listed below.

Counting down the Chiefs’ single-season rushing yards leaders

Our @TheJohnDillon counts down the #Chiefs’ single-season rushing yards leaderboards.

Only relatively recently has the Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive identity changed from a hard-nosed ground-and-pound attack to the more finesse aerial assault fans see today.

Andy Reid’s innovative brand of offense has a lot to do with the shift, and with a Super Bowl on his resume to show for it, not many fans are clamoring for change any time soon. With the benefit of Patrick Mahomes’ elite arm and a cast of receivers that can rack up points in a hurry, there’s no reason to fix what isn’t broken for Kansas City.

But in the annals of Chiefs history, there have been some truly impressive rushing campaigns by elite backs, even in Reid’s tenure with the team.

Here are the single-season rushing yards leaders for Kansas City:

It’s just the ‘start of the journey’ for Seahawks RB Rashaad Penny

Finally having the breakout success he’s been hoping for, it’s just the “start of the journey” for Seattle Seahawks RB Rashaad Penny.

The Seattle Seahawks finished their 2021 campaign on Sunday with a losing record overall but a finale win against the Arizona Cardinals. One major contributor to the team’s victory was running back Rashaad Penny.

Penny posted an impressive final month of the season, earning the NFC Offensive Player of the Week and logging over 135 yards on the ground in four of his last five games and a whopping 190 rushing yards in Arizona Week 18.

“I think this is really the start of my journey,” Penny told reporters during his final presser of the year Monday morning. “It has been a long time coming, it’s been a frustrating one, but these guys have had my back through it all. I’m really thankful to be around a great organization and they showed that there was no quit in me, they pushed me, and they kept pushing me, so I’m just thankful for what I have been doing over this past month or so.”

The Seahawks declined to pick up the fifth-year option of Penny’s rookie contract, so he’s headed towards free agency if he and Seattle don’t reach a new deal before the start of the new league year.

“Through the time I’ve been here, I’ve battled injuries, and they just never gave up on me,” Penny said. ” . . . So I’m thankful for that, and I really love this place. The training staff does an amazing job with us, the medical guys and girls, they really look after us. I love being here.”

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