In case you were wondering, the NFL’s plus/minus leaders this season — running backs division — were the Ravens’ Justin Forsett (1,235-yard increase over his 2013 rushing total) and the Vikings’ Adrian Peterson (1,191-yard decrease, thanks to the “off-field trouble” that limited him to one game).
You don’t necessarily have to read a lot into this. Maybe a player just got an opportunity (and his yards shot up), or maybe he just got hurt (and they went down). In other words, it’s less a measure of how well a back played and more a matter of his production compared to the year before. (Just one of the ways I keep myself entertained in the offseason: by looking at numbers from all sorts of angles.)
BIGGEST GAINERS
| Running back, Team | 2013 | 2014 | Gain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Justin Forsett, Ravens | 31 | 1266 | +1235 |
| C.J. Anderson, Broncos | 38 | 849 | +811 |
| DeMarco Murray, Cowboys | 1121 | 1845 | +724 |
| Arian Foster, Texans | 542 | 1246 | +704 |
| Jonathan Stewart, Panthers | 180 | 809 | +629 |
| Mark Ingram, Saints | 386 | 964 | +578 |
| Denard Robinson, Jaguars | 66 | 582 | +516 |
| Le’Veon Bell, Steelers | 860 | 1361 | +501 |
| Matt Asiata, Vikings | 166 | 570 | +404 |
| Lamar Miller, Dolphins | 709 | 1099 | +390 |
Note: The first five backs all made the playoffs (and three played for teams that didn’t make it the season before).
BIGGEST DECLINERS
| Running back, Team | 2013 | 2014 | Drop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adrian Peterson, Vikings | 1266 | 75 | -1191 |
| Ryan Mathews, Chargers | 1255 | 330 | -925 |
| Knowshon Moreno, Broncos | 1038 | 148 | -890 |
| Reggie Bush, Lions | 1006 | 297 | -709 |
| Maurice Jones-Drew, Raiders | 803 | 96 | -707 |
| Zac Stacy, Rams | 973 | 293 | -680 |
| C.J. Spiller, Bills | 933 | 300 | -633 |
| DeAngelo Williams, Panthers | 843 | 219 | -624 |
| Bilal Powell, Jets | 697 | 141 | -556 |
| Stevan Ridley, Patriots | 773 | 340 | -433 |
Obviously, most of these backs were injured, forcing their teams to scramble a bit at the running back position. Some of the clubs (Broncos, Lions, Panthers, Patriots) dealt with the situation better than others. But then, Denver, Detroit and New England weren’t that dependent on the running game to begin with.
Next: receivers.
Source: pro-football-reference.com
The Ravens’ Justin Forsett rushed for an NFL-high 1,235 more yards than in 2013.
