NFL passing numbers have skyrocketed in recent years, while running has been de-emphasized. The Ravens, however, are doing something different.
Baltimore is running far more effectively than any other NFL team, and the stat that most encapsulates that may be this: Both quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Mark Ingram are on pace to top 1,000 rushing yards this season.
At the halfway point of the 2019 season, Jackson has 637 rushing yards, putting him on pace for 1,274 yards this season, and Ingram has 585 rushing yards, putting him on pace for 1,170 this season.
Only once before in NFL history has a quarterback-running back combination both topped 1,000 rushing yards. That happened in 2006, when Falcons quarterback Michael Vick had 1,039 yards and running back Warrick Dunn had 1,140 yards.
Five times, a pair of running back teammates have both topped 1,000 yards: Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris with the 1972 Dolphins, Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier with the 1976 Steelers, Kevin Mack and Earnest Byner with the 1985 Browns, Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward with the 2008 Giants, and Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams with the 2009 Panthers.
As a team, the Ravens have totaled 1,639 rushing yards this season, putting them on pace for 3,278 for the season. That would break the all-time NFL record of 3,165 yards, set by the 1978 Patriots. The Ravens are running the ball like no other team in NFL history.
