Acme Packing Company
Who’s the best running back of the 21st century so far?
Earlier this week, we were blessed with three interesting options at the quarterback position in the voting for APC’s All-21st Century (so far)team. The running back group, however, is even more loaded.
Voters will have the pleasure of choosing between the Green Bay Packers’ first-, third-, and sixth-leading rushers in team history among a host of other options, all of whom made an impact on the team in their own way. Let’s get started and meet the contenders.
Note: All stats shown are as a member of the Green Bay Packers only, from the 2000 through 2024 seasons only.
4x Pro Bowler
Regular season stats: 1,851 carries for 8,322 yards and 54 touchdowns (4.5 yards per carry); 350 receptions for 2,726 yards and 14 touchdowns (7.8 yards per reception); 34 fumbles
Postseason stats: 119 carries for 521 yards and three touchdowns (4.4 per carry); 21 receptions for 146 yards (7.0 yards per reception), one fumble
In terms of volume production, Ahman Green is as good as it gets. He’s the team’s career leader in rushing yards and ranks a respectable 20th in receiving yards, which is pretty solid considering the wealth of great pass catchers in Packers history. And on top of that, Green’s 1,883 yards in 2003 represents the best single-season rushing total in the team’s lengthy annals.
Arriving via trade prior to the 2000 season, Green’s career totals might be even higher had he not split time with the fading Dorsey Levens early in his Packers career. But after splitting time with Levens that year, Green took over the starting gig full time in 2001, earning the first of four straight Pro Bowl nods that year. Had Green not played the bulk of his career at the same time as other great runners like Priest Holmes, Marshall Faulk, LaDainian Tomlinson, and Jamaal Lewis, he’d probably have earned at least one All-Pro nod.
Green’s raw productivity is hard to argue against, but if there’s one mark against him it’s his fumbling. Across eight seasons in Green Bay, Green fumbled 34 times in the regular season, averaging one fumble about every 65 touches. That’s significantly worse than Aaron Jones, also a bit loose with the football at times, who averaged one fumble about ever 85 regular season touches. But Green’s prolific productivity elsewhere may be enough to offset that one, albeit significant, criticism.
1x Pro-Bowler
Regular season stats: 1,177 carries for 7,078 yards and 50 touchdowns (5.0 yards per carry); 272 receptions for 2,076 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns (7.6 yards per carry); 20 fumbles
Postseason stats: 104 carries for 511 yards and seven touchdowns (4.9 yards per carry); 24 receptions for 202 yards and one touchdown (8.4 yards per reception); two fumbles
A diminutive dynamo, Aaron Jones far outplayed his draft status, climbing from a day three pick in 2017 to become one of the...
