Chase Edmonds ran for 3 touchdowns against the Giants, and they all came from at least 20 yards. That’s rare. It’s not easy scoring on longer runs in the NFL.
In the last 10 years, in fact, only 12 running backs have scored more than 3 touchdowns on runs of 20-plus yards in a season. Chris Johnson scored 8 such touchdowns in 2009 (the season he ran for 2,006 yards). Nobody else has scored more than 5.
Only one other running back has scored 3 long touchdowns in the same game. That was Doug Martin, going off at Oakland in 2012 on a day he ran for 251 yards.
I am sure it’s also been done previously in other seasons. Clinton Portis, for one, in a home game against Kansas City at the end of the 2003 season.
Edmonds earlier in the year scored on a 37-yard run at Cincinnati.
I don’t see Edmonds as an elite, up-and-coming talent. I’m not knocking him; he’s fine. But in this case, I thought the touchdowns – all of them – can be attributed more to poor defensive play. New York came in with a poor run defense and didn’t seem to have the right scheme or plan for this offense, leaving Edmonds free to run through gaping holes for easy touchdowns.
But give credit to Edmonds and Arizona for generating rushing production. Some of that can be attributed to Kliff Kingsbury’s play calling. His teams at Texas Tech averaged 21 rushing touchdowns in his six seasons there.
In the last 10 seasons, only 45 other running backs have managed to score at least 3 rushing touchdowns from 20-plus yards in a season.
| TD RUNS OF 20-PLUS YARDS | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | No |
| 2009 | Chris Johnson, Ten. | 8 |
| 2011 | DeAngelo Williams, Car. | 5 |
| 2012 | Doug Martin, T.B. | 5 |
| 2009 | Jonathan Stewart, Car. | 4 |
| 2009 | Maurice Jones-Drew, Jac. | 4 |
| 2009 | Jamaal Charles, K.C. | 4 |
| 2012 | Jamaal Charles, K.C. | 4 |
| 2012 | Adrian Peterson, Min. | 4 |
| 2012 | Marshawn Lynch, Sea. | 4 |
| 2013 | LeSean McCoy, Phil. | 4 |
| 2015 | Adrian Peterson, Min. | 4 |
| 2018 | Saquon Barkley, NYG | 4 |
| 2019 | Chase Edmonds, Ariz. | 4 |
| 2009 | Ray Rice, Balt. | 3 |
| 2009 | Ryan Grant, G.B. | 3 |
| 2009 | Adrian Peterson, Min. | 3 |
| 2009 | Thomas Jones, NYJ | 3 |
| 2009 | Frank Gore, S.F. | 3 |
| 2010 | Arian Foster, Hou. | 3 |
| 2010 | Derrick Ward, Hou. | 3 |
| 2010 | Danny Woodhead, N.E. | 3 |
| 2010 | Darren McFadden, Oak. | 3 |
| 2010 | LeSean McCoy, Phil. | 3 |
| 2010 | Ryan Mathews, S.D. | 3 |
| 2010 | Chris Johnson, Ten. | 3 |
| 2011 | Willis McGahee, Den. | 3 |
| 2011 | LeSean McCoy, Phil. | 3 |
| 2011 | LeGarrette Blount, T.B. | 3 |
| 2012 | Reggie Bush, Mia. | 3 |
| 2012 | Chris Johnson, Ten. | 3 |
| 2013 | James Starks, G.B. | 3 |
| 2013 | Cordarrelle Patterson, Min. | 3 |
| 2013 | LeGarrette Blount, N.E. | 3 |
| 2014 | Jamaal Charles, K.C. | 3 |
| 2015 | Karlos Williams, Buff. | 3 |
| 2015 | C.J. Anderson, Den. | 3 |
| 2016 | Ezekiel Elliott, Dall. | 3 |
| 2017 | LeSean McCoy, Buff. | 3 |
| 2017 | Kareem Hunt, K.C. | 3 |
| 2017 | Alvin Kamara, N.O. | 3 |
| 2017 | Mark Ingram, N.O. | 3 |
| 2017 | Marshawn Lynch, Oak. | 3 |
| 2018 | Tevin Coleman, Atl. | 3 |
| 2018 | Nick Chubb, Cle. | 3 |
| 2018 | Phillip Lindsay, Den. | 3 |
| 2018 | Melvin Gordon, LAC | 3 |
—Ian Allan