lamar.jpg
Getty

A day after Justin Fields broke the NFL single-game rushing record for a quarterback, Lamar Jackson made history of his own by virtue of his running prowess. 

During Baltimore's 27-13 win over the Saints on Monday night, Jackson passed Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young for fifth all time in career rushing yards by a quarterback. The former league MVP now has 4,308 career rushing yards after running for 82 yards on 11 carries against the Saints. 

Young, the quarterback Jackson passed on Monday night, used his left arm as well as his legs to win two league MVP awards while being named a Pro Bowler each year from 1992-98. His magnum opus occurred in Super Bowl XXIX, when he threw a still-standing Super Bowl record six touchdown passes in San Francisco's 49-26 win over the Chargers. Fittingly, Young also led both teams with 49 yards on five carries. 

Young, who was on hand to witness Monday night's game as part of ESPN's broadcast team, authored one of the greatest runs in NFL history when he scored the game-winning touchdown against the Vikings late in the 1988 season. The score helped the 49ers recover from a late-season slump while ultimately winning the franchise's third Super Bowl by season's end. 

The next quarterback Jackson will look to catch on the list is Russell Wilson, who has 4,802 yards (and counting) entering the Broncos' upcoming game against the Titans. 

Michael Vick holds the title as the leading rusher for a quarterback in league annals. Vick, who prior to Jackson was hailed as the greatest running quarterback in league history, ran for 6,109 yards during his time with the Falcons, Eagles and Steelers. The first quarterback to rush for 1,000 yards in a season, Vick's single-season quarterback rushing record (set in 2006) was eclipsed by Jackson in 2019, when Jackson ran for 1,206 yards to break Vick's mark by 167 yards. 

player headshot
Lamar Jackson
BAL • QB • #8
Att86
Yds635
TD2
FL1
View Profile

Cam Newton, who like Jackson is a former league MVP, is second on the list with 5,628 career rushing yards. Newton's 75 rushing touchdowns are the most by a quarterback and 32 more than the second-closest quarterback: Young. Randall Cunningham, a standout for the Eagles and later the Vikings, is third all time with 4,928 yards. 

The lack of career games is what separates Jackson from the rest of the quarterbacks near the top of the list. Of the top-13 rushing quarterbacks in league history, Jackson is the only quarterback who has played in less than 100 games. Jackson has played in a mere 67 games to this point, 98 fewer than Wilson and 102 less than Young. 

The next-highest quarterback on the list with fewer than 100 games is Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who is 14th all time with 2,717 yards in 69 games. Allen is just 78 yards away from passing Jim Harbaugh (yes, that Jim Harbaugh) for 13th on the all-time list.