NFL Rushing Attempts Single Game Leaders
Build your own custom leaderboards with Stathead Football. Single game leaders only reflect years for which we have complete boxscore data (1950 onward), all playoff games, and all 100 yard rushing/receiving or 300 yard passing games from 1940-1959.
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Leaders
- + indicates Hall of Famer, season age in parentheses
Leaders Table
Rank |
Player |
Att |
Tm |
Boxscore |
1 | Jamie Morris | 45 | WAS | Washington Redskins vs. Cincinnati Bengals, December 17, 1988 |
2 | Butch Woolfolk | 43 | NYG | New York Giants vs. Philadelphia Eagles, November 20, 1983 |
| James Wilder | 43 | TAM | Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Green Bay Packers, September 30, 1984 |
| Rudi Johnson | 43 | CIN | Cincinnati Bengals vs. Houston Texans, November 9, 2003 |
5 | James Wilder | 42 | TAM | Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, October 30, 1983 |
| Terrell Davis + | 42 | DEN | Denver Broncos vs. Buffalo Bills, October 26, 1997 |
| Ricky Williams | 42 | MIA | Miami Dolphins vs. Buffalo Bills, September 21, 2003 |
8 | Gerald Riggs | 41 | ATL | Atlanta Falcons vs. Los Angeles Rams, November 17, 1985 |
| Franco Harris+ | 41 | PIT | Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals, October 17, 1976 |
| Rodney Hampton | 41 | NYG | New York Giants vs. Los Angeles Rams, September 19, 1993 |
11 | Shaun Alexander | 40 | SEA | Seattle Seahawks vs. Green Bay Packers, November 27, 2006 |
| Adrian Murrell | 40 | NYJ | New York Jets vs. Cincinnati Bengals, September 28, 1997 |
| Walter Payton+ | 40 | CHI | Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings, November 20, 1977 |
| Barry Sanders + | 40 | DET | Detroit Lions vs. Dallas Cowboys, September 19, 1994 |
| Johnny Hector | 40 | NYJ | New York Jets vs. New England Patriots, October 12, 1986 |
| Curtis Martin + | 40 | NWE | New England Patriots vs. New York Jets, September 14, 1997 |
| Lamar Smith | 40 | MIA | Miami Dolphins vs. Indianapolis Colts, December 30, 2000 |
| Lydell Mitchell | 40 | BAL | Baltimore Colts vs. New York Jets, October 20, 1974 |
| Ricky Williams | 40 | NOR | New Orleans Saints vs. Cleveland Browns, October 31, 1999 |
| Errict Rhett | 40 | TAM | Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Washington Redskins, December 4, 1994 |
21 | O.J. Simpson+ | 39 | BUF | Buffalo Bills vs. Kansas City Chiefs, October 29, 1973 |
| Gerald Riggs | 39 | ATL | Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints, December 22, 1985 |
| Jerome Harrison | 39 | CLE | Cleveland Browns vs. Oakland Raiders, December 27, 2009 |
| Marion Butts | 39 | SDG | San Diego Chargers vs. Kansas City Chiefs, December 17, 1989 |
| LaDainian Tomlinson+ | 39 | SDG | San Diego Chargers vs. Oakland Raiders, October 20, 2002 |
| Terdell Middleton | 39 | GNB | Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings, November 26, 1978 |
| Earnest Byner | 39 | WAS | Washington Redskins vs. New England Patriots, December 15, 1990 |
| Ricky Bell | 39 | TAM | Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Kansas City Chiefs, December 16, 1979 |
| Larry Johnson | 39 | KAN | Kansas City Chiefs vs. Seattle Seahawks, October 29, 2006 |
| Corey Dillon | 39 | CIN | Cincinnati Bengals vs. Tennessee Oilers, December 4, 1997 |
| Jerome Bettis+ | 39 | RAM | Los Angeles Rams vs. Chicago Bears, January 2, 1994 |
| Earl Campbell+ | 39 | HOU | Houston Oilers vs. Seattle Seahawks, October 11, 1981 |
| Walter Payton+ | 39 | CHI | Chicago Bears vs. Buffalo Bills, October 7, 1979 |
34 | Curtis Martin + | 38 | NYJ | New York Jets vs. Arizona Cardinals, November 7, 1999 |
| John Riggins+ | 38 | WAS | Washington Redskins vs. Miami Dolphins, January 30, 1983 |
| Jim Nance | 38 | BOS | Boston Patriots vs. Oakland Raiders, October 30, 1966 |
| Christian Okoye | 38 | KAN | Kansas City Chiefs vs. Green Bay Packers, December 10, 1989 |
| Lee Suggs | 38 | CLE | Cleveland Browns vs. Miami Dolphins, December 26, 2004 |
| Jamie Morris | 38 | WAS | Washington Redskins vs. Philadelphia Eagles, November 12, 1989 |
| Harry Newman | 38 | NYG | New York Giants vs. Green Bay Packers, November 11, 1934 |
| Joe Montgomery | 38 | NYG | New York Giants vs. New York Jets, December 5, 1999 |
| Le'Veon Bell | 38 | PIT | Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Buffalo Bills, December 11, 2016 |
| Eric Dickerson+ | 38 | RAM | Los Angeles Rams vs. St. Louis Cardinals, September 7, 1986 |
| Cedric Benson | 38 | CIN | Cincinnati Bengals vs. Cleveland Browns, December 21, 2008 |
| Edgerrin James+ | 38 | IND | Indianapolis Colts vs. Seattle Seahawks, October 15, 2000 |
| Stephen Davis | 38 | WAS | Washington Redskins vs. Arizona Cardinals, January 6, 2002 |
| Pete Johnson | 38 | CIN | Cincinnati Bengals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, December 4, 1983 |
| Earl Campbell+ | 38 | HOU | Houston Oilers vs. Kansas City Chiefs, October 12, 1980 |
| Reuben Droughns | 38 | DEN | Denver Broncos vs. Oakland Raiders, October 17, 2004 |
| Ricky Williams | 38 | NOR | New Orleans Saints vs. Carolina Panthers, October 15, 2000 |
| Walter Payton+ | 38 | CHI | Chicago Bears vs. Dallas Cowboys, November 26, 1981 |
| Ricky Bell | 38 | TAM | Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Philadelphia Eagles, December 29, 1979 |
| Clinton Portis | 38 | DEN | Denver Broncos vs. Cleveland Browns, December 14, 2003 |
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