There have been countless running backs and wide receivers in NFL history who were a problem with the ball in their hands. Granted, some reached the end zone more than others.
That said, which non-quarterbacks have the most combined touchdowns in a single season in league history?
Here are the NFL players who have scored the most scrimmage touchdowns in a single season.
11 NFL players who’ve scored the most scrimmage touchdowns in a season
T-8. RB O.J. Simpson: 23 (1975)
In what was arguably the best season of the five-time All-Pro’s career, Simpson rushed for an NFL-high 1,817 yards and 16 touchdowns on 5.5 yards per carry (another high) for the Buffalo Bills in 1975. He also tallied 28 receptions for 426 yards and seven scores. Simpson earned both All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors that year and was the MVP runner-up.
T-8. WR Jerry Rice: 23 (1987)
The NFL’s all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns had his best season from a scoring standpoint in just his third year in the league with the San Francisco 49ers, leading the NFL with 22 receiving scores, while rushing for another. Ironically, despite all those touchdowns, Rice finished with 1,078 receiving yards, which ranked just 14th out of his 20 seasons in the sport, and 65 receptions, which ranked just 15th out of his 20 seasons.
T-8. RB Terrell Davis: 23 (1998)
Davis put together one of the best campaigns for a running back in NFL history in 1998, a year that the Denver Broncos repeated as Super Bowl champions. In the regular season, Davis rushed for an NFL-high 2,008 yards and 21 touchdowns, while also totaling 25 receptions for 217 yards and another two scores. He then rushed for 468 yards and three touchdowns in the postseason. Through 2023, Davis held the NFL single-season combined rushing record (2,476 combined rushing yards in the regular season and postseason) until Saquon Barkley (2,504 combined rushing yards with the Philadelphia Eagles) passed the Hall of Famer in 2024.
T-8. WR Randy Moss: 23 (2007)
The 2007 season that featured the New England Patriots going undefeated until the Super Bowl also had several players post monster years, Moss being among them. In what was his first season with the Patriots, Moss reeled in 98 receptions for 1,493 yards and an NFL-high 23 touchdowns. His 23 receiving touchdowns stand as a Patriots record, with Moss being both first (23 in 2007) and second (13 in 2009) in a single season in franchise history.
T-6. RB John Riggins: 24 (1983)
Riggins was a menace for Washington, with arguably his best single season coming in 1983 when he rushed for 1,347 yards and an NFL-high 24 touchdowns. He then rushed for 306 yards and six touchdowns in the playoffs, helping Washington reach the Super Bowl for a second consecutive year. Riggins, the MVP of Super Bowl XVII, led the NFL in rushing touchdowns again the ensuing season, totaling 14 scores on the ground in 1984.
T-6. RB Priest Holmes: 24 (2002)
After a four-year stint with the Baltimore Ravens (1997-2000) in which he rushed for 1,008 yards in his second season, Holmes joined the Kansas City Chiefs in 2001 and proceeded to rush for an NFL-high 1,555 yards. The following year, Holmes rushed for 1,615 yards and an NFL-high 21 touchdowns across just 14 games. All the while, he racked up 70 receptions for 672 yards and three touchdowns.
5. RB Emmitt Smith: 25 (1995)
Smith was the focal point of three Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl teams and led the NFL in rushing yards four times and rushing touchdowns three times, but the running back’s 1995 campaign was arguably his best piece of work. In the regular season, Smith rushed for 1,773 yards and 25 touchdowns, which each led the NFL. Then, in the postseason, Smith rushed for 298 yards and six touchdowns, helping the Cowboys win their third Super Bowl in four years.
4. RB Marshall Faulk: 26 (2000)
After helping St. Louis win Super Bowl XXXIV in his first season with the franchise, Faulk rushed for 1,359 yards and an NFL-high 18 touchdowns on an NFL-high 5.4 yards per carry in just 14 regular-season games in 2000. He also totaled 81 receptions for 830 yards and eight scores, which was second on the Rams. Faulk won the 2000 NFL MVP award.
3. RB Priest Holmes: 27 (2003)
Priest lands on this list twice following a phenomenal three seasons in Kansas City. “Abracadabra Holmes” had a standout season for the Chiefs in 2003, rushing for 1,420 yards and an NFL-high 27 touchdowns. He also totaled 74 receptions for 690 yards. Holmes rushed for 176 yards and two scores in Kansas City’s wild-card loss to Indianapolis.
2. RB Shaun Alexander: 28 (2005)
The Seattle Seahawks handed the ball off to Shaun Alexander a lot in 2005 — an NFL-high 370 times, to be exact — and he rewarded their faith in him by having a historic season. Rushing for an NFL-high 1,880 yards and 27 touchdowns with one receiving score to boot, Alexander won the 2005 NFL MVP award on a Super-Bowl-bound Seahawks team. Alexander is No. 1 (27 in 2005) and No. 2 (16 in 2004) in Seahawks history in rushing touchdowns in a single season.
1. RB LaDainian Tomlinson: 31 (2006)
Tomlinson, a three-time All-Pro, racked up accolade after accolade across his 11-year NFL career, with his 2006 campaign arguably his best. Rushing for an NFL-high with both 1,815 yards and 28 touchdowns while logging 56 receptions for 508 yards and three scores for San Diego, Tomlinson won 2006 NFL MVP honors. Tomlinson then rushed for 123 yards and two scores and totaled 64 receiving yards in the Chargers’ wild-card round loss to the Pats.
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