NFL: Most Dangerous Backfields

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Having a great backfield is one of the most coveted things in the NFL. Although it has transitioned into a passing league nowadays, truly dominate teams always rely on the run game in times of trouble. Let’s take a look at some of the backfields that give opposing defenses nightmares every Sunday. All stats are courtesy of ESPN.com. There are some great backs that scare defenses by themselves, but in this article we will be discussing whole backfields that bring multiple weapons and dimensions to the table. That being said, backfields such as the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans will not be included because even though Matt Forte and Arian Foster are great backs, their lesser counterparts don’t do enough to be part of the elite club.

One backfield that is right on the edge of being too one dimensional is the Dallas Cowboys. Right now, Demarco Murray is the leading rusher in the NFL. He is out-rushing 29 teams in the NFL alone and has not rushed for under 100 yards so far this season. This alone makes Dallas one of the most dangerous backfields in the NFL. Murray has 206 carries for 1,054 yards and seven touchdowns. That said, every running back needs a break and he has two running backs after him that can provide a fresh pair of legs throughout the game. Those two are Joseph Randle and Lance Dunbar. So far this season, Randle has rushed for 143 yards on 21 carries. This equals 6.8 yards per carry, which is an astounding number for a running back to average. He is able to come when Murray needs a breather and absolutely dominate in his absence. Lance Dunbar on the other hand, is having a pretty awful season. He has rushed the ball 16 times for a measly 45 yards, however, he is coming off a knee injury that cut his season short last year. In his nine games last year, Dunbar had 30 carries for 150 yards. He was even close to taking Murray’s job when he was injured. You can tell that Dunbar looks a little slow on his cuts because of his injured knee. When running the ball between the tackles he has been pretty effective, but Dallas has been constantly pitching him the ball. If Dunbar can get back to his old self then he could create a triple headed monster down in Dallas.

One of the more dangerous backfields in football this year is the Kansas City Chiefs backfield. Jamaal Charles had a slow start, but has been picking it up as of late. He’s rushed for 363 yards on 77 carries this year with only four rushing touchdowns. The one good thing about his early troubles thus far is that he averages 4.7 yards per carry. His pass-catching ability, speed and quickness make him nearly impossible to stop if he gets going. Behind him they have the young and powerful Knile Davis. Davis has actually had a better year, partly due to the amount of playing time he’s had. He’s had 99 carries this year as opposed to Charles’ 77. Davis has made the most of those opportunities by racking up 401 yards and four touchdowns with a 4.1 yards per carry average. He is such a great change-of-pace running back, that he may actually be capable of starting for most teams in the NFL. In addition to both of those backs, the Chiefs have the explosive play-maker out of Oregon, De’Anthony Thomas. Thomas has been limited this year due to injury, but when he has gotten involved he’s been excellent. He’s taken three carries for 19 yards and a touchdown as well as five receptions for 38 yards. He’s looked explosive and ready to go. He is a weapon every time he comes out on the field. This backfield has not lived up to it’s full potential, but that potential is there.

Speaking of not living up to the hype, let’s talk about the Philadelphia Eagles backfield a bit. The Eagles have two of the most dynamic players in the NFL. Their names are LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles. They have both had seasons with over 1,000 yards from scrimmage. McCoy has had three seasons with over 1,000 yards rushing while Sproles’ highest rushing total in his career is 603 yards. In that same year, he had 710 yards receiving, leaving him with over 1,300 yards from scrimmage. He rushed in for two touchdowns and caught seven. The thing that makes Sproles so dangerous is the fact that you never know whether or not he’s going to run or catch the ball. The same is true with Pro Bowl running back LeSean McCoy. Last year, McCoy had 1,607 yards rushing. In addition to that, he caught 52 passes for 539 yards. He also had 11 total touchdowns. So, pair these guys up and it becomes a nightmare for opposing offenses, right? So far this year, this has not been the case. McCoy has only had one 100+ yard game through seven games. His highest receiving total has been 41 yards as opposed to 114 last year. He isn’t looking the same as he did. Sproles has had a couple big games. In week one he had 71 yards rushing with a touchdown and in week two he had 152 yards receiving and one rushing touchdown. He is still very dangerous, but injury held him out of a few games this year. If you take away Sproles’ receiving capabilities, teams will no longer be scared of him. Although this duo hasn’t performed up to their potential so far this year, they still have the potential to be the deadliest backfield in the NFL each and every week.

Some backfields just have that one-two punch that no one can defend, like the Cincinnati Bengals. Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill have taken the NFL by storm this year. Both of them are dual threats out of the backfield, making it hard to stack the box or expand against them. They keep defenses in limbo. Both are averaging over four yards per carry with over 100 yards receiving. Bernard has 446 yards on 109 carries, to go along with five touchdowns and 179 yards receiving. Hill has come in and performed admirably every time Bernard needs a breather, accumulating 195 yards on 50 carries and three touchdowns. He also has 13 receptions for 131 yards on the receiving side. Defenses have no idea how to handle these guys. Hill is 238 pounds, so he can truck through the defense or bounce it to the outside for a gain of 10. Bernard’s stature looks like the type of back that wouldn’t be attracted to running it up the middle, however, they say looks can be deceiving. Bernard runs it up the middle quite often as a change of pace from his normal off-tackle run style and when he does so, it works. Teams haven’t yet found a way to stop this two headed monster. Even when the Titans held Bernard to under 3.5 yards per carry, he scored two touchdowns. In that same game, Hill scored one. Kudos to whichever team manages to shut them down.

There are a couple backfields in the NFL that are in pretty unique situations. One of those is that of the San Francisco 49ers. They’ve got Frank Gore who may be past his elite days, however, they’ve also got some young backs that could dominate the NFL in the coming years. Gore has been very good for a very long time. He’s had seven seasons in which he rushed for over 1,000 yards. He has also never had a season in which he averaged under four yards per carry. Although Gore isn’t elite anymore, he is still very solid. He has 423 yards rushing on 102 carries with one touchdown. His lack of touchdowns is partially the fault of rookie Carlos Hyde, who is looking like the future of the San Francisco running back corp right now. He’s got over 150 yards and two touchdowns so far this year. He hasn’t been dominant but he has shown flashes of being an elite running back at some point in the future. Not to mention injured back, Kendall Hunter. Hunter is an explosive change of pace back that will provide a couple big outside runs every year. Last is Marcus Lattimore. Lattimore has yet to play an NFL game after suffering a major injury back in college, however, if he lives up to his potential he could truly be a great back in the NFL. In college, he dominated every team he ran against. So even after Gore leaves, if Hyde, Lattimore and Hunter can all play together at their best, they could be elite. If they can get all four healthy and playing well together while Gore is still in decent shape, their backfield will be even better. This is definitely a backfield to monitor.

Another backfield in the NFL that harbors tremendous potential should all of their players stay healthy is the San Diego Chargers. They’ve got veterans Ryan Mathews, Danny Woodhead, Ronnie Brown and Donald Brown along with rookie Branden Oliver. Woodhead is out for the year, taking away a big chunk of their effectiveness. Oliver has come in admirably in the absence of Mathews, with Woodhead and Brown taking over the running and pass catching duties. In Oliver’s six games played so far this season he has carried the ball 85 times for 352 yards and two touchdowns. He also has 21 receptions for 162 yards and a touchdown. If Oliver can keep playing at his current level in the future, he could very well emerge as the number one back over Mathews, who only has 71 yards rushing on 23 attempts this year due to injury. Regardless, Mathews has gone over 1,000 yards two times in his career, so there’s no doubting his talent. Woodhead has always been regarded as a great pass catching back. He was only able to touch the ball 20 times this year because of an injury. Brown had a great year with the Colts last year, but has had health problems with his new team. Finally there’s Brown coming in and providing insurance for injured backs as well as veteran leadership. This backfield hasn’t been the most impressive this year, but should all of them stay healthy next year, they could be a major force at running and catching the ball.

Now, here’s a backfield with a different kind of potential. This backfield is filled with young talent that could be one of the most dangerous in the NFL if they stay together for a few more years. That is the backfield of the Cleveland Browns. Their backfield is filled with young talent just waiting to explode. At the front of their backfield is veteran Ben Tate. Behind him are rookies Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West. All three of them have showed moments where they look like they could be the team’s number one back. Tate has already been established as a reliable option with his time in Houston. He’s averaged 4.5 yards per carry over the course of his career. His only problem has been injuries. To this day, he has never played a full season. That’s where West and Crowell come in. They are getting to the point where they can easily pick up Tate’s slack when he’s hurt. Maybe one day, both will be more productive. Crowell has had 52 carries this year for 256 yards and four touchdowns. The most impressive part is the fact that he is considered a goal line back for the Browns, but his yards per carry still hovers around 4.9. If he can keep pushing it in at the goal line while making the most of his open field carries, he can look for a much bigger role in the Cleveland offense. West received many compliments from coaches and players in the preseason and training camp. Some thought that he would take over as starter for the Browns. He even did for a while, until Tate returned from injury. He has about 254 yards so far this year, including two touchdowns. If all three of these running backs can keep playing at the level they are now and keep learning to work with each other, they have the potential to be great.

If you take the potential in the Browns backfield and multiply it by five, you now have the potential in the St. Louis Rams‘ backfield. They have three backs that have all been weaved into the offense. They have second year players Zac Stacy and Benny Cunningham along with rookie Tre Mason. Last year, Stacy had 250 carries for 973 yards along with seven touchdowns, however, the most impressive part of their backfield this year has probably been Mason. He has carried the ball a mere 30 times for 157 yards and a touchdown. That’s over five yards per carry. Mason is beginning to flash the potential that the Rams saw when the drafted him. Having Cunningham doesn’t hurt either. He’s carried the ball 40 times for 163 yards and two touchdowns. Cunningham also has 129 receiving yards. All three of these young backs have talent and they continue to show it. The most amazing part about the Rams backfield is the way they manage to get all three backs in the game at the same time, making it difficult for anyone to know where or who they’re going to. If they can continue to develop this young talent while keeping them all together, the Rams will have an amazing backfield.

Now, all of you are probably wondering who I think is the best backfield in the NFL. So I will tell you. Personally, I think it is the Bengals. Both of their running backs can do everything and Gio is one of the most dynamic and effective rushers in the NFL today. The addition of Jeremy Hill just puts them over the top. All of the backfields mentioned on this list are great but if I was a defensive coordinator, I would be most scared of Cincinnati.