The game’s greatest running backs are on this elite list.
Once upon a time, running the ball was seen as the way to win football games. Turn around, hand it off and pound the rock. That was how games were won.
Ironically, running the football is back in style, as more defenses gear up to stop today’s pass-happy offenses. Teams that can run the ball usually find success in the win column.
No one ran the ball better than these ten players on this list, each delivering one of the greatest seasons ever by a running back. Here are the top 10 single-season rushing touchdown leaders.
t-5.) Emmitt Smith – 21 – Dallas Cowboys, 1994
Spoiler alert, this is not the Hall of Famer’s only appearance on this list, but it starts with what Emmitt Smith did the year after he won the MVP award.
Funny enough, the season he had after winning the prestigious award was even greater. In 1993, Smith helped lead the Dallas Cowboys to a consecutive Super Bowl title, rushing for 1,486 yards and nine touchdowns.
However, in 1994 Smith ran for 1,484 yards but exploded for 21 touchdowns, good for fifth most all time. Yet, that wasn’t even a career-high for Smith…
t-5.) Joe Morris – 21 – New York Giants, 1985
In 1985, Joe Morris rushed for 1,336 yards and 21 touchdowns. The fourth-year running back out of Syracuse had a breakout season.
A year later, he helped the Giants win their first Super Bowl in franchise history. Morris had 50 rushing touchdowns in his career, meaning 42% of them came in his breakout campaign in 1985.
A season for the ages for the G-Men.
t-5.) Priest Holmes – 21 – Kansas City Chiefs, 2002
Like Smith, this is not Priest Holmes’ only appearance on this list. The former Baltimore Ravens star saw his career take off when he landed in Kansas City as a member of the Chiefs in 2001.
In four seasons in Baltimore, Holmes rushed for 2,100 yards and 10 touchdowns. In his first season alone, he went for 1,555 yards and 8 touchdowns.
By his second season in Kansas City, Holmes had become a star. In 2002, he officially put himself on the map as one of the league’s best backs by rushing for 1,615 yards and 21 touchdowns. winning Offensive Player of the Year.
t-5.) Terrell Davis – 21 – Denver Broncos, 1998
Terrell Davis played only seven seasons in the NFL, yet he still made it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. That should tell you everything you need to know about what Davis did when he stepped onto the field.
His greatest season came in 1998, when he rushed for 2,008 yards and 21 touchdowns. He was named league MVP and Offensive Player of the Year, while helping the Broncos win their second straight Super Bowl.
t-5.) Terry Allen – 21 – Washington Redskins, 1996
The last of the logjam of 21 rushing touchdowns is Terry Allen and his super season in 1996 for the Washington Redskins.
Allen rushed for 1,353 yards and 21 scores while helping the Redskins contend for a playoff spot, but ultimately falling short. Allen only played for four seasons in Washington but made the most of his time.
4.) John Riggins – 24 – Washington Redskins, 1983
Another fellow Washington Redskin checks in on the list at number four, with 24 rushing touchdowns to his name.
Pro Football Hall of Famer John Riggins, who spent a decade in Washington, helping win Super Bowl XVII over the Miami Dolphins while taking home MVP honors.
However, it’s what he did a season later by rushing for 1,347 yards and 24 touchdowns that gets him this high on the list.
3.) Emmitt Smith – 25 – Dallas Cowboys, 1995
Smith’s second appearance on the list saw him rush for a then-record 25 touchdowns, as the Cowboys went on to win their third Super Bowl in four years.
Smith, quarterback Troy Aikman, and wide receiver Michael Irvin formed “The Triplets” that helped thrust Jerry Jones and the Cowboys into football immortality in the 1990s.
They stamped the seal of approval on the mantra “America’s Team” and it was largely led by Smith’s rushing ability, and his 1995 season acting as the main event.
t-2.) Priest Holmes – 27 – Kansas City Chiefs, 2003
Holmes followed up his 2002 Offensive Player of the Year campaign with another first-team All-Pro year in 2003.
He rushed for 1,420 yards and set the record at the time for 27 touchdowns on the ground.
There may not be a better three-year stretch of running back play than Holmes’ 2001-2003 seasons.
t-2.) Shaun Alexander – 27 – Seattle Seahawks, 2005
Unfortunately for Holmes, his time sitting all alone at the top was short lived.
Shaun Alexander burst onto the scene when he came into the league in 2000 out of Alabama, but it wasn’t until 2005 that he cemented his legacy.
Alexander won the MVP award that year while rushing for 1,880 yards and tying Holmes’ record of 27 rushing touchdowns. He helped lead the Seahawks all the way to the Super Bowl, falling just short to the Pittsburgh Steelers (with the help of a few questionable calls).
1.) LaDainian Tomlinson – 28 – San Diego Chargers, 2006
L.T. stands alone at the top.
No player in NFL history reached the end zone more in a single season than Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson, who put together a season for the ages in 2006.
Tomlinson scored a record 28 times on the ground on his way to the MVP award. The San Diego Chargers great was unstoppable. On top of his 28 rushing touchdowns, Tomlinson also ran for 1,815 yards, while catching 56 passes for 518 yards and an additional three touchdowns.
Oh yeah, he also threw for two touchdowns.
Who could be next?
As the 2025 season gets underway, there are a handful of folks that could crack this list. Philadelphia Eagles‘ Saquon Barkley and Baltimore Ravens‘ Derrick Henry look to be the leading candidates.
Barkley’s career-high on the ground is 13, so he would have to nearly double it to make it on the list. Meanwhile, Henry’s career-high is 17, so he too would have some work to do.
Keep an eye out on Buffalo Bills James Cook and Detroit Lions Jahmyr Gibbs as well. They each had 16 touchdowns on the ground last year.