Fansided

Every NFL team’s greatest rushing season of all time

By Russell S. Baxter

CINCINNATI, OH - SEPTEMBER 23: Running back Eric Dickerson #29 of the Los Angeles Rams runs with the football during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals as rain falls at Riverfront Stadium on September 23, 1984 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Rams defeated the Bengals 24-14. (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH - SEPTEMBER 23: Running back Eric Dickerson #29 of the Los Angeles Rams runs with the football during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals as rain falls at Riverfront Stadium on September 23, 1984 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Rams defeated the Bengals 24-14. (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images) /
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TAMPA, FL – OCTOBER 7: Ruuning back James Wilder #32 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers finds a hole during the game against the Minnesota Vikings at Tampa Stadium on October 7, 1984 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Michael Minardi/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL – OCTOBER 7: Ruuning back James Wilder #32 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers finds a hole during the game against the Minnesota Vikings at Tampa Stadium on October 7, 1984 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Michael Minardi/Getty Images) /

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: James Wilder (1984)

James Wilder was a second-round pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1981. He didn’t really come into his own in his fourth season. That year, he had one of the most productive campaigns in NFL history, albeit for a team that finished with a 6-10 record.

Wilder touched the ball a combined 492 times that season, good for 2,229 yards from scrimmage. He caught 85 passes that year, but none of them resulted in a score.

The focus here is what he did when it came to running the ball. Wilder totaled 20-plus carries in 13 of the club’s 16 contests. He finished the year with 407 attempts, the third-highest single-season total in NFL annals. He ran for 1,544 yards and all 13 of his touchdowns came via the ground. Perhaps any other year Wilder would have earned All-Pro honors. However, the Rams’ Eric Dickerson was busy setting a new NFL record with 2,105 yards on the ground. Chicago’s Walter Payton finished with 1,684 yards rushing.

There was controversy in the season’s final game regarding head coach John McVay. He had his defense allow the Jets to score a touchdown late in the game so Wilder could get the ball back and add to his scrimmage yardage total. The idea failed, but that takes nothing away from the running back’s big year.

Next: Tennessee Titans

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