2,105 yards.
That is the record for rush yards set in a single-season by Los Angeles Rams running back and Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson in 1984.
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Dickerson helped modernize the RB positionCredit: Getty
Over 40 years later, the record still remains unbroken. Outside of Adrian Peterson’s MVP campaign in 2012 when he rushed for 2,097 yards, not many have come close.
However, Dickerson’s record almost went up in smoke in 2003 when Baltimore Ravens running back Jamal Lewis fell 39 yards shy of breaking it.
What made Lewis’ 2,066 yards even more impressive, was that less than two years prior, Lewis tore his ACL and sprained his MCL in 2001 during training camp.
The next year he rushed for 1,327 yards and six touchdowns, but it wasn’t until 2003 when he ran for 2,066 yards and 14 touchdowns that vaulted him up into rarefied air.
Lewis won the NFL Offensive Player of the Year that season, while making First-Team All-Pro and his lone career Pro Bowl berth.
He was one of the most underrated running backs of not only his generation but of all-time. He spent seven total years in Baltimore, before joining the Cleveland Browns for three seasons and then calling it a career.
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Over his decade spent in the NFL, Lewis rushed for 10,607 yards and 58 touchdowns. He was named to the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team and is a member of the Ravens Ring of Honor.
In his rookie year, Lewis helped Baltimore win its first Super Bowl in franchise history, when he rushed for over 300 yards and four touchdowns in the postseason.
In Super Bowl XXXV, the Ravens throttled the New York Giants 34-7, with Lewis running for 102 yards and a touchdown. It was one of the better performances by a running back in the playoffs over a four-game stretch in recent memory.
To this day, Lewis remains one of just nine players to ever rush for over 2,000 yards.
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Lewis was instrumental in helping the Ravens capture the Lombardi TrophyCredit: Getty
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Baltimore upset the number one-seeded Tennessee Titans in the playoffs in 2000Credit: Getty
And while he may not have the single-season record for rushing yards, he did at one point have the single-game record for rushing yards.
Before Peterson once again surpassed Lewis, it was the Ravens great who stood on top with a then-record of 295 yards in a single game during the 2003 season.
Peterson broke Lewis’ record by one yard, with 296, four years later in 2007.
However, the day Lewis rushed for nearly 300 yards was a day Ravens fans haven’t forgotten. It was Week 2 versus the Cleveland Browns when Lewis made history.
In the first half alone, Lewis had 180 yards on 16 carries. He finished with 30 carries 295 rushing yards, and a whopping 9.8 yards per carry.
“I was going in at halftime when Jonathan Ogden said, `Let’s go get it. We can get 300 yards.’ On a day like today, I can’t regret anything. It was beautiful,” Lewis recalled after the game.
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At the time, it was the greatest game a running back had ever had. That was how special Lewis’ 2003 campaign truly was. No one knew if Lewis would be able to bounce back after 2001’s horrific end.
Two years later, he had proven to be the best at his position.
When people talk about the greatest running backs of all-time, rarely does Lewis’ name get mentioned.
You see the likes of Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, Jim Brown, Dickerson and Peterson. And while Lewis may not be in the tier of those names, he isn’t far behind.
That’s worth remembering.