We look at the rushing leaders throughout NFL history, from the most rushing yards in a game, to the most rushing yards in a season, to the most rushing yards in a career.
What is a rushing yard?
A rushing yard refers to the total number of yards gained by a player running the ball.
Although running backs are typically tasked with carrying the ball, any offensive player who performs a carry is known as a ball-carrier for that play - irrespective of position - and they will be attributed with the rushing yards depending on what they've gained or lost.
Most rushing yards in NFL history
Only four players have cleared the 15,000-yard mark in NFL history, and three-time Super Bowl champion Emmitt Smith stands well clear of the pack.
Smith racked up more than 17,000 yards with the Dallas Cowboys over a 13-year period in which he was named the AP NFL MVP.
Smith overtook Walter Payton as the NFL's all-time leading rusher - an accolade that would surely have gone to Barry Sanders, had he not retired when 1,457 yards short. Sanders remains fourth on the list in terms of rushing yards and remains perhaps the greatest player to never contest a Super Bowl.
| 18,355 yards |
| 16,726 yards |
| 16,000 yards |
| 15,269 yards |
| 14,918 yards |
Most rushing yards in a season
The NFL's 2,000-yard club is made up of just eight men who have cleared the 2,000-yard barrier in a season, with Eric Dickerson's 1984 campaign with the Los Angeles Rams the best of the bunch.
The most recent addition was Derrick Henry for the Tennessee Titans in 2020 with Adrian Peterson for the Minnesota Vikings in 2012 coming before that.
| 2,105 yards |
| 2,097 yards |
| 2,066 yards |
| 2,053 yards |
| 2,027 yards |
Most rushing yards in a game
Only 12 men in history have rushed for more than 250 yards in a game, and somewhat surprisingly, none of them went on to crack 2,000 in the same season.
Adrian Peterson tops the list with 296 yards as the Minnesota Vikings beat the San Diego Chargers 35-17 in November 2007 with Peterson himself scoring three touchdowns.
Player: | Yardage: | Match: | Date: |
| 296 yards | Chargers 17-35 Vikings | 4th November 2007 |
| 295 yards | Ravens 33-13 Browns | 14th September 2003 |
| 286 yards | Chiefs 34-41 Browns | 20th December 2009 |
| 278 yards | Bengals 31-21 Broncos | 22nd October 2000 |
| 275 yards | Bears 10-7 Vikings | 20th November 1977 |
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