Walter Payton
NOTE: Due to the adoption of the 16-game schedule, the 1978 and ’79 seasons significantly skew the Top 10 results. Therefore, following the Top 10 is a list of the next 5 best performances that occurred exclusively from 1970-77.
TOP 10
1- Walter Payton, 1977 Chicago Bears
1852 yards, 339 att., 5.5 avg., 14 TD
2- Walter Payton, 1979 Chicago Bears
1610 yards, 369 att., 4.4 avg., 14 TD
3- Ottis Anderson, 1979 St. Louis Cardinals
1605 yards, 331 att., 4.8 avg., 8 TD
4- Wilbert Montgomery, 1979 Philadelphia Eagles
1512 yards, 338 att., 4.5 avg., 9 TD
5- Walter Payton, 1978 Chicago Bears
1395 yards, 333 att., 4.2 avg., 11 TD
6- Walter Payton, 1976 Chicago Bears
1390 yards, 311 att., 4.5 avg., 13 TD
7- Tony Dorsett, 1978 Dallas Cowboys
1325 yards, 290 att., 4.6 avg., 7 TD
8- Ricky Bell, 1979 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1263 yards, 283 att., 4.5 avg., 7 TD
9- Lawrence McCutcheon, 1977 Los Angeles Rams
1238 yards, 294 att., 4.2 avg., 7 TD
10-Wilbert Montgomery, 1978 Philadelphia Eagles
1220 yards, 259 att., 4.7 avg., 9 TD
Wilbert Montgomery
NEXT 5 (1970-77)
1- Larry Brown, 1972 Washington Redskins
1216 yards, 285 att., 4.3 avg., 8 TD
2- Delvin Williams, 1976 San Francisco 49ers
1203 yards, 248 att., 4.9 avg., 7 TD
3- Ron Johnson, 1972 New York Giants
1182 yards, 298 att., 4.0 avg., 9 TD
4- Lawrence McCutcheon, 1976 Los Angeles Rams
1168 yards, 291 att., 4.0 avg., 9 TD
5- Chuck Foreman, 1976 Minnesota Vikings
1155 yards, 278 att., 4.2 avg., 13 TD
Tony Dorsett
Ricky Bell
Lawrence McCutcheon
BEST BY FRANCHISES NOT LISTED
New Orleans Saints: Chuck Muncie, 1979
1198 yards, 238 att., 5.0 avg., 11 TD
Green Bay Packers: John Brockington, 1973
1144 yards, 265 att., 4.3 avg., 3 TD
Detroit Lions: Steve Owens, 1971
1035 yards, 246 att., 4.2 avg., 8 TD
Atlanta Falcons: William Andrews, 1979
1023 yards, 239 att., 4.3 avg., 3 TD
Larry Brown
Ron Johnson
Chuck Foreman