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Led by free agent bargains Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry, the number of big-play running backs is rivaling the number of high-production receivers for a change.
With two weeks remaining in the season, there are 11 players who have reached the 1,000-yard milestone in both rushing and receiving in a far cry from the pattern in recent seasons.
The last time there were as many 1,000-yard rushers as receivers in an entire season came in 2010 when there were 17 of each. While that might not happen this season with more pass catchers nearing the mark than runners, it does figure to be far closer than it has been the last decade when there were more than twice as many receivers (233) hitting the mark than runners (110).
The running renaissance is being led by Barkley and Henry, who have elevated their teams with their big-play ability after signing deals that are far smaller than the ones that go to top wideouts.
The Eagles’ Barkley leads the NFL in rushing with 1,838 yards and could become the ninth player in NFL history to reach 2,000 yards in a season. He still has an outside shot at breaking Eric Dickerson’s single-season record of 2,105 in a 16-game season in 1984. Barkley needs 268 yards to break that in a 17-game campaign.
Barkley has been a big-play threat all season, including a 68-yard TD run on Sunday against Washington. He’s the first player in NFL history with at least four TD runs of 65 yards or more in the same season.
The Ravens’ Henry has 1,636 yards rushing, making this the first season since 2012 with multiple backs topping the 1,600-yard mark. Henry became the fifth player to top 1,500 yards at least four times in a career and is one shy of Barry Sanders’ record of five. Dickerson, Walter Payton and Edgerrin James also did it four times.
Rare rookies
Washington’s Jayden Daniels and Las Vegas’ Brock Bowers are on the verge of some record-setting rookie seasons.
Daniels threw five touchdown passes to lead the Commanders to a 36-33 comeback win over Philadelphia that snapped Washington’s 98-game losing streak in games the team trailed by at least 13 points in the fourth quarter.
Daniels threw for 258 yards and ran for 81 more, joining 2015 MVP Cam Newton as the only players NFL history with at least 250 yards passing, 75 yards rushing and five TD passes in a game.
Daniels has 737 yards rushing this season and needs just 79 more to break the record of 815 that Robert Griffin III set for Washington in 2012. Daniels is already just the second rookie QB to win 10 starts and produce at least 4,000 yards rushing and passing, joining Andrew Luck who did it in 2012 for Indianapolis.
Bowers had 11 catches for 99 yards for the Raiders on Sunday to tie Anquan Boldin for third most catches in a season by a rookie with 101. Bowers needs five more catches in the final two weeks to break Puka Nacua’s record set last season for the Rams. Malik Nabers of the New York Giants also could do it as he has 97 catches this season.
Bowers’ 1,067 yards receiving are 9 shy of matching the rookie record for tight ends set by Hall of Famer Mike Ditka in 1961 for Chicago.
Just for kicks
In a record-setting season for long kicks, no one has done it quite at the level of Dallas’ Brandon Aubrey.
Aubrey has made an NFL record 14 field goals from at least 50 yards so far this season, one more than Houston’s Ka’imi Fairbairn has made so far in 2024.
Those two account for 27 of the record 173 field goals of at least 50 yards, beating the record of 158 set just last season. There have already been twice as many field goals from at least 50 yards this season as there were as recently as 2019 when there were just 84.
Aubrey made two kicks from 58 yards, one from 53 and another from 49 this past week to set another record. His 36 made field goals have combined for 1,636 yards for the most yards on made field goals in any season, topping Justin Tucker’s 1,601 in 2016 for Baltimore.
49ers feast or famine
San Francisco’s latest loss extended an odd streak of feast or famine for the franchise after the 49ers assured of a losing season.
Over the last 22 seasons, San Francisco has had a winning record just seven times but made it to the NFC title game or Super Bowl in each of those seasons.
The Niners are tied for the ninth fewest seasons with a winning record in that span but have the second most conference championship game appearances, trailing only the 12 for New England.
Falling flat following a Super Bowl loss isn’t new for the 49ers, who went 6-10 in 2020 the season after losing to Kansas City in the Super Bowl.
The only other teams in the last 17 seasons to have a losing record the season after playing in the Super Bowl are the 2022 Rams (5-12) and the 2016 Panthers (6-10).
Blanked
Green Bay delivered the NFL’s first shutout of the season.
The Packers beat New Orleans 34-0 on Monday night to make sure the 2024 season wouldn’t be the first in NFL history without a shutout.
The previous low in any season was two, which has happened five times overall and twice in the Super Bowl era in 2015 and 1994.
This was the latest in a season for the first shutout with the NFL having never gone more than eight weeks into a campaign without a team getting blanked. That last happened in 2010.
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