After several weeks as the NFL’s rushing leader, Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott has been bumped to second place. With a 208-yard explosion last week against the Broncos, Todd Gurley of the Los Angeles Rams has leaped Zeke on the leaderboard.
Elliott was no slouch himself in Week 6, putting up 106 yards on the vaunted Jaguars defense. But Gurley nearly doubled that in Denver, and now leads Zeke by 37 yards.
Here are the current NFL rushing leaders, :
- Todd Gurley, Rams – 623 yards
- Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys – 586 yards
- Melvin Gordon, Chargers – 466 yards
- Kareem Hunt, Chiefs – 456 yards
- James Conner, Steelers – 453 yards
- Saquon Barkley, Giants – yards
- Matt Breida, 49ers – 430 yards
- Isaiah Crowell, Jets – 430 yards
- Sony Michel, Patriots – 400 yards
It’s still early in 2018, but it’s already starting to look like a two-horse race for the rushing title. And it’s no surprise that those two would be Elliott and Gurley.
Last year, Zeke and Todd were the top two in the NFL for yards-per-game. Gurley missed one game that year and finished second in total yards behind Kareem Hunt. Elliott was held back by his suspension.
Week 7 could allow Elliott to retake the lead. He’ll see a Washington defense that he ran for 150 yards on last season in a single game. However, they are currently sixth in the NFL in rushing yards allowed.
Gurley gets a slightly softer opponent in the 49ers defense, who are just 13th in run defense. Both games will be on the road.
While these stats certainly aren’t as important as wins and losses, they do matter to the players. Rushing titles come back into the conversation when Hall of Fame credentials are being considered.
If things stay at their current pace for Ezekiel Elliott and Todd Gurley, we may be tracking this race all the way through the end of the regular season.
