NFL rushing title likely to go down to the wire

[Jaxson De Ville]

Getty Images

The race to lead the league in rushing appears set to go down to the wire this season, with the NFL’s top four running backs all projected to finish the season within 30 yards of each other.

Vikings running back Dalvin Cook leads the league with 823 rushing yards, followed by Jacksonville’s Leonard Fournette at 715, Carolina’s Christian McCaffrey at 618 and Cleveland’s Nick Chubb at 607. But the rushing race is a lot closer than those numbers suggest.

The Vikings have played eight games this season, the Jaguars seven, and the Panthers and Browns six each. On a per-game basis, the four top runners have had virtually identical seasons: The difference between first and fourth is less than two yards per game.

Here’s where the Top 4 runners would end up this season, if they all continue their current paces for 16 games:

1,648 yards: Christian McCaffrey
1,646 yards: Dalvin Cook
1,634 yards: Leonard Fournette
1,619 yards: Nick Chubb

Fournette, McCaffrey and Cook were the first three running backs drafted in 2017, while Chubb went in the second round in 2018. The four young runners appear poised to have a close race to the finish line this season, with the league rushing title at the end of it.