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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WASHINGTON, DC. – OCTOBER 2: John Riggins #44 of the Washington Redskins runs the ball during an NFL game against the Los Angeles Raiders on October 2, 1983 at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. Riggins played for the Redskins from 1976-1985. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC. – OCTOBER 2: John Riggins #44 of the Washington Redskins runs the ball during an NFL game against the Los Angeles Raiders on October 2, 1983 at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. Riggins played for the Redskins from 1976-1985. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

Washington Commanders: John Riggins (1983)

There was the strike-shortened nine-game season of 1982 in which the Washington Redskins, now known as the Washington Commanders, won their first Super Bowl title. Running back John Riggins got hot at the right time and embarked on a four-game postseason run that ranks among the greatest performances in NFL history. He ran for 100-plus yards in each game and propelled the club to a win over the Dolphins in Super Bowl XVII.

A year later in a full season, the one-time member of the New York Jets and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame was obviously a lot busier. In 15 games that year, he totaled a career-high 375 carries for a personal-best 1,347 yards on the ground, to go along with an NFL-best 24 rushing touchdowns. That Washington team would set a then-NFL record for points scored (541) in a season.

Riggins ran for 119 yards and three scores in the divisional-round rout of the Rams. He rushed for 123 yards and a pair of TDs in the NFC title game victory over the 49ers. However, it did not end well for Joe Gibbs’ team as they were crushed by the Silver and Black, 38-9, in Super Bowl XVIII. Riggins was limited to 64 yards on 26 carries but did score Washington’s loan touchdown of the game.

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