Top 25 seasons by a running back ever: Which Kansas City Chiefs make the cut?

1. Priest Holmes, 2002

I know what you’re thinking. Probably something like, “I love Priest more than the next guy, but c’mon! Ranking his 2002 season the best of all time? Get out of here with that nonsense!” Let me first answer by saying I didn’t plan this. In fact, I was hoping something like this wouldn’t happen, as I could guess the response of some readers. However, the formula is a good one and this is who it says comes in at No. 1. The more I think it through, the more sure I become of the result.

Before you grab your pitchforks, let’s examine the arguments against this and see why they’re right or wrong. The first one, and probably the most common one I’m sure I’ll hear, is that this wasn’t even Holmes’ best season. His best season, as most fans will probably think, was 2003. I’ll give it to you, at first glance it sure seems that way. In this case however, things are not what they seem. Why? Because Holmes only played in 14 games in 2002 as opposed to 16 in 2003, so you have to take a closer look.

First, Holmes was actually much more effective in 2002 averaging 163 yards from scrimmage per game compared with 132 yards from scrimmage per game in 2003. Out of all the players on this list, that his the highest yards from scrimmage per game in their respective seasons. In fact, if you add Holmes’ game by game average for an additional two games he’d be the current yards from scrimmage record holder for all of NFL history with 2,613 yards.

Second, most fans remember 2003 as this fantastic season because Holmes broke the all time touchdown record up to that point with 27 touchdowns. I’ll admit, even though it only lasted a few years, this was an amazing feat. Again however, Holmes was more productive in 2002 on a game by game basis averaging 1.71 touchdowns per game compared to 1.68 touchdowns in 2003.

If you noticed, that means if Holmes had finished the 2002 season he likely would have set the all-time yards from scrimmage and touchdown record in the same season. Only two players, both on this list, have since surpassed what Holmes’ touchdown output would have been if he played the whole season and none of them have an adjusted yards from scrimmage number like his.

Now, you may point to the fact that Holmes had an incredible offensive line. You’d be absolutely correct, but without a consistent metric to compare offensive lines across the 65 seasons I evaluated, there’s not much that can really be accurately evaluated here. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending upon how you look at it, gut feeling has no place in an objective evaluation like this one.

You also might point to the fact that Holmes’ yards per carry in 2002 was not as good as some of the other running backs on this list. You’d again be correct, except that the player with the highest yards per carry on this list had 178 less adjusted yards from scrimmage and 10 less adjusted touchdowns. If you’ve been tracking the formula, all things being equal, that’s 238 points. I would have had to weight yards per carry way more than it should be for any running back on this list over 6 yards per carry to make it to the top spot. Yards per carry is important, but there are several variables at play there as well.

So there you have it. Priest Holmes’ 2002 season checks in as the greatest of all time according to the formula. You might be able to tweak a factor here or there and come up with a slightly different answer, but it’s obvious that his 2002 campaign was incredible and it’s a shame that he wasn’t able to finish it the way he deserved.

NORMALIZED SEASON SCORE: 2823.54