Passing league? Just seven backs top 1,000 rushing yards

We’ve been hearing for a while that the NFL is a passing league, and this season may have provided an example of how much teams have gotten away from the run game: just seven backs topped 1,000 rushing yards this season, the fewest since 1991.

And only two of those, Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson (1,485 yards) and Tampa Bay’s Doug Martin (1,402) topped 1,200 yards.

Perhaps not coincidentally, this was also the first season we saw a dozen quarterbacks eclipse 4,000 passing yards for the season, led by the Saints’ Drew Brees at 4,870, and there was also a “record” number of receivers who topped 1,000 yards, at 26 (the previous high was 24). The Falcons’ Julio Jones led the way at 1,871 yards.

The lack of 1,000 yard rushers could be a product of teams getting away from “bell cow” backs – only Peterson carried the ball more than 300 times this season, and just five backs had 250 or more carries. As recently as 2012, there were five backs with 300-plus carries and 14 with 250 or more.

There was also a significant gap in the yards gained by the receiving leader vs. the rushing leader. Since 1970, there have been just 10 instances of the league’s top-gaining recevier totaling more yards than its top rusher, and all of those have come since 1989. That year, San Francisco 49ers great Jerry Rice had 1,483 receiving yards to 1,480 rushing for the Kansas City Chiefs’ Christian Okoye.

This year, Jones outgained Peterson by 386 yards. Only once before has that gap been triple digits: in 1999, Indianapolis Colts receiver Marvin Harrison had 1,663 yards, 110 more than teammate Edgerrin James’ 1,553.