Lamar Jackson's glittering performance on Sunday night has placed him in an elite class as far as running quarterbacks is concerned. During Baltimore's 36-35 victory over the Chiefs, Jackson became the fifth player and fourth quarterback in league history to reach 3,000 career rushing yards in fewer than 500 carries, via NBC Sports.
Here are the four players Jackson joined on this list:
QB Randall Cunningham (1985-95; 1997-01): Widely regarded as the league's best running quarterback during the league's first 75 seasons, Cunningham rushed for 4,928 yards during his 16-year career. His 942 rushing yards during the 1990 season was the record for single season rushing yards for a quarterback at the time. He averaged a league-high eight yards-per-carry that season, a year after he led the NFL with a six yards-per-carry average.
QB Steve Young (1985-99): A Hall of Fame quarterback, two-time league MVP and Super Bowl XXIX MVP, Young ran for 4,239 yards and 43 touchdowns during his 15 seasons. He ran for a career-high seven touchdowns during his memorable 1994 season that saw him lead the 49ers to the franchise's fifth Super Bowl title. His jaw-dropping 49-yard touchdown run against the Vikings in 1988 was tabbed as the 27th greatest play in NFL history in 2019.
QB Michael Vick (2001-06; 2009-15): Vick quickly grabbed the mantle as the NFL's best rushing quarterback once he became the Falcons' starting quarterback in 2002. A four-time Pro Bowler, Vick led the NFL in yards-per-carry average five times that included his Comeback Player of the Year 2010 season. In 2006, Vick became the first quarterback in league history to run for over 1,000 yards after gaining 1,039 yards on just 123 carries.
RB Jamaal Charles (2008-18): The only running back on this list, Charles averaged 5.5 yards-per-carry during his nine years with the Chiefs. A two-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler, Charles led the NFL with a 5.9 yards-per-carry average in 2009. He averaged a whopping 6.4 yards-per-carry in 2010 while rushing for 1,467 yards. Charles retired as the Chiefs' career rushing leader with 7,260 yards.
While he's only in his fourth season, Jackson has already made a strong case as the greatest running quarterback in league history. The league's leader in yards-per-carry average each of the past two seasons, Jackson has rushed for 3,099 yards and 21 touchdowns in 48 career regular season games. En route to winning league MVP, Jackson broke Vick's record by rushing for 1,206 yards in 2019. Last season, he became the first quarterback to post multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons.
Through two games, Jackson is the NFL's third-leading rusher with 193 yards. He is currently on pace to run for 1,641 yards during the NFL's first 17-game regular season.
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