Chiefs have 3 of top 10 rushing seasons of last 30 years

The Kansas City Chiefs hold 3 of the top 10 rushing seasons of the last 30 years, per Football Outsiders.

Football Outsiders is celebrating the last 30 years of the NFL at ESPN by looking at the best overall seasons, per their exclusive metrics, for each position, such as quarterback, running back, et al. When it comes to running backs, no team has the sort of storied history as the Kansas City Chiefs.

Chiefs fans will already smile and nod at memories of rushers like Priest Holmes, Christian Okoye, Jamaal Charles, Marcus Allen, Larry Johnson, Abner Haynes and others. Football Outsiders’ metrics agree with those memories, giving the Chiefs three of the top 10 rushing seasons of the last 30 years.

First up is Priest Holmes’ incredible 2002 season at No. 2 overall.

"Holmes led the league in rushing value with 1,615 yards and 21 touchdowns, the sixth-best rushing season of the past 30 years. He had an 86 percent catch rate as a receiver with 672 yards, second in receiving value behind Garner."

It’s clear that being a two-way back who can catch passes out of the backfield is significant here given the presence of Marshall Faulk and even Charlie Garner on the list. Holmes made the list again at No. 4.

"Holmes led the league in rushing value with 1,420 yards and a then-record 27 touchdowns, despite facing a difficult schedule of run defenses. He also had 690 receiving yards — though oddly no receiving touchdowns — and was No. 2 in receiving value behind Moe Williams of the Vikings."

Larry Johnson also broke into the top 10 at No. 9 overall with his 2005 breakout season.

"What’s remarkable is that Johnson wasn’t even a starter until halfway through the season, but once he entered the starting lineup he reeled off nine straight 100-yard rushing games, including two of more than 200 yards. Johnson had two or more touchdowns in eight games in 2005; he averaged 5.2 yards per carry and more than 10 yards per reception."