Adrian Peterson
StaTuesday: Vikings' rushing average among worst ever in NFL
Adrian Peterson

StaTuesday: Vikings' rushing average among worst ever in NFL

Published Dec. 9, 2016 12:37 p.m. ET

The rushing offense of the Minnesota Vikings this season has been, simply put, abysmal.

The Vikings have topped 100 yards on the ground in just one game this season, and even that one was just barely. Minnesota had 104 yards against the New York Giants and only crossed the 100-yard plateau on the final drive of the game as the Vikings ran out the clock.

And there's good reason Minnesota isn't churning out the yards. As it currently stands, based on their average, the Vikings could run the ball three times in a series and not get a first down.

ADVERTISEMENT

Yes, Minnesota's rushing average is a putrid 2.8 yards per carry. If you think Adrian Peterson's return might help, well, in theory it should, but it's not like Peterson was doing anything before he got hurt. In fact, he has the worst rushing average of any Vikings running back, including fullback Zach Line.

Player Att Yds Avg
Jerick McKinnon 106 316 3.0
Matt Asiata 90 287 3.2
Adrian Peterson 31 50 1.6
Ronnie Hillman 18 50 2.8
Sam Bradford 11 -3 -0.3
Zach Line 7 15 2.1
Cordarrelle Patterson 5 37 7.4
Stefon Diggs 3 10 3.3
Shaun Hill 2 8 4.0
Adam Thielen 1 11 11.0
Rhett Ellison 1 1 1.0

The Vikings' 2.8 average isn't the worst of all time, but it is among the bottom of the barrel, currently ranked as the eighth-lowest rushing average since 1940 and the lowest since 1992. Only 17 teams since 1940 have had a rushing average of under 3.0 yards per carry, and of those just three others have occurred since the NFL-AFL merger.

But if you are looking for hope for Minnesota, it should be noted that all three of those recent teams finished the season with a winning record and two, New England in 1986 and 1994, went to the playoffs.

 

Team   Year   Record   Att   Yds  Avg 
Brooklyn Dodgers 1943 2-8 333 610 1.83
Detroit Lions 1946 1-10 233 472 2.03
Chicago Cardinals 1943 0-10 334 709 2.12
New York Giants 1953 3-9 398 1049 2.64
Philadelphia Eagles 1942 2-9 407 1089 2.68
Detroit Lions 1943 3-6-1 294 817 2.78
New England Patriots 1994 10-6 478 1332 2.79
Minnesota Vikings 2016 6-5 275 782 2.84
Pittsburgh Steelers 1966 5-8-1 375 1092 2.91
Indianapolis Colts 1992 9-7 379 1102 2.91
Washington Redskins 1965 6-8 354 1037 2.93
Washington Redskins 1962 5-7-2 371 1088 2.93
New England Patriots 1986 11-5 469 1373 2.93
Washington Redskins 1961 1-12-1 361 1072 2.97
Philadelphia Eagles 1954 7-4-1 401 1196 2.98
Philadelphia Eagles 1946 6-5 423 1263 2.99
Boston Patriots 1965 4-8-2 373 1117 2.99

Statistics courtesy pro-football-reference.com

Dave Heller is the author of the upcoming book Ken Williams: A Slugger in Ruth's Shadow as well as Facing Ted Williams Players From the Golden Age of Baseball Recall the Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived and As Good As It Got: The 1944 St. Louis Browns

share


Adrian Peterson
Get more from Adrian Peterson Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more