Who Has the Most NFL Rushing Touchdowns?

The answer may surprise you. We break down the top 10 NFL running backs with the most rushing touchdowns in NFL history.

Emmitt Smith

Emmitt Smith has the most rushing touchdowns in NFL history. He played for the Dallas Cowboys for fourteen seasons and is the all-time leading rusher in Cowboys history. He is also the all-time leading rusher in NFL history.

NFL career

Smith played thirteen seasons for the Dallas Cowboys, from 1990 to 2002. During his fifteen NFL seasons, Smith became the NFL’s all-time rushing leader, eclipsing the record set in 1984 by Walter Payton. Smith is also the only running back to have ever won a Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award and have been inducted into both the college and professional football halls of fame.

1990: Smith’s rookie season was phenomenal. He rushed for an NFL rookie record 1,563 yards and was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

1992: In his second season, Smith rushed for 1,713 yards and 18 touchdowns as he helped lead the Cowboys to their second consecutive Super Bowl win. Following the season, he was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year.

1993: In 1993, Smith became only the second running back in NFL history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season as he finished with 2,061 yards on373 carries (a league-leading 5.5 yards per carry average) and 25 touchdowns (also a league-leading total). He was once again named NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year becoming only the second player in NFL history (after O.J. Simpson) to be named MVP in consecutive seasons.

Rushing touchdowns

Emmitt Smith has the most rushing touchdowns in NFL history with 164. He played for the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals during his 15-year career, amassing 18,355 rushing yards and 4,409 receiving yards along the way. Smith was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010.

LaDainian Tomlinson

LaDainian Tomlinson holds the record for the most rushing touchdowns in a single season with 28. He accomplished this feat in the 2006 season while playing for the San Diego Chargers. He also holds the record for the most rushing touchdowns in a career with 145.

NFL career

LaDainian Tomlinson (/təˈmɪlsən/ tə-MIL-sən; born June 23, 1979) is a former professional American football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. He played the majority of his career with the San Diego Chargers, who selected him fifth overall in the 2001 NFL Draft, and he also spent one season with the New York Jets. Tomlinson was considered one of the best running backs in NFL history, receiving five Pro Bowl invitations and being honored as both the 2006 NFL MVP and 2007 NFL Offensive Player of the Year.

After spending nine seasons with the Chargers, Tomlinson joined the Jets in 2010. He played only one season before retiring as a Jet at the end of that season.

Tomlinson is currently ranked sixth in rushing yards, seventh in all-purpose yards, and tenth in rushing touchdowns in NFL history. He holds several NFL records including most rushing touchdowns in a single season (28), most total touchdowns in a single season (31), and most consecutive games scoring a touchdown (18).

Rushing touchdowns

Tomlinson holds the NFL’s single-season record for touchdowns with 31, which he set in 2006. He is also fourth on the NFL’s all-time list for rushing touchdowns, behind Emmitt Smith, LaDainian Tomlinson, and Walter Payton.

Walter Payton

Retired NFL running back, Walter Payton, holds the record for the most rushing touchdowns in a career with 110. Payton played for the Chicago Bears for thirteen seasons and was a nine-time Pro Bowl selection. He was also the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 1977.

NFL career

Walter Jerry Payton (July 25, 1954 – November 1, 1999) was an American football running back who played for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) for thirteen seasons. Payton is remembered as a prolific rusher, once holding records for single-season yards-per-carry and career rushing touchdowns, and he remains the Bears’ all-time leading rusher and scored the most rushing touchdowns in NFL history. A nine-time Pro Bowl selectee, Payton is one of only three players to have won both the NFL Most Valuable Player Award and the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award. He was named to the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team, comprising the best players in NFL history, as well as being inducted into both the College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Rushing touchdowns

In football, a touchdown is scored when a live ball is advanced into, caught in, or recovered in the opposing team’s end zone. A successful touchdown scores six points for the scoring team. The scoring team then attempts a try for one or two points (see below), which is scrimmage-like play but with certain restrictions and a line of scrimmage at the 2-yard line (1-yard line in Canadian football). If the try by kicking or running fails, the scoring team may dropkick any legal kick from scrimmage through the goal posts for one point, regardless of distance or whether it would otherwise be a field goal attempt.

In American high school football and college football, touchdowns score seven points. High school football defense cannot score a touchdown on an extra point attempt; they may return any kickoff or punt for a touchdown but if the ball is not tipped or fumbled into their own end zone they only get two points for a safety. In Canadian football, when an offensive team scores a touchdown they have the option to attempt one or two point conversions; if they elect to attempt a single point conversion they must do so by kicking the ball through the goal posts while if they elect to attempt a double point conversion they must run or pass the ball into the end zone.

Most frequently, though not always, players refer to touchdowns by saying “I scored” or “we scored,” rather than “We won touch” or “I got six.”

Touchdowns are so important because of their great value – worth six points in both American and Canadian professional and collegiate play and seven points in amateur play (most high school games and some collegiate games use six-point touchdowns). A touchdown can dramatically change any game, usually giving considerable momentum to its scoring team.

Barry Sanders

Barry Sanders is a retired American football player who was a running back for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest running backs of all time. He is the NFL’s third all-time leading rusher with 15,269 yards, and is one of only seven players to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season.

NFL career

Barry Sanders (born July 16, 1968) is a former professional American football running back. He played his entire 10-year career with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). A pro-bowl invitee in each of his 10 NFL seasons and named to the NFL’s 75th Anniversary All-Time Team, Sanders is considered one of the greatest running backs of all time. He was ranked by NFL Network’s NFL Top 10 series as the most elusive runner in NFL history, and also rated the greatest shifty running back by NFL.com.

During his college football days, Sanders was a 2-time All-American while playing for Oklahoma State University, and amassed over 3,000 all-purpose yards with 48 touchdowns in just three years. He also ran track for Oklahoma State, where he was a member of their 4 x 100m team that finished 7th at the 1988 Summer Olympics. After spending most of his rookie season on special teams, Sanders took over as Detroit’s starting running back in 1989, and flourished immediately; he led the league in rushing yards (1,304) and total touchdowns (16).

Rushing touchdowns

In the National Football League (NFL), the record for the most rushing touchdowns in a career is 164, set by Emmitt Smith. He played for the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals.

Sanders, who played for the Detroit Lions, is second on the all-time list with 153 rushing touchdowns. He is followed by LaDainian Tomlinson (145), Tony Dorsett (99), Jim Brown (106) and Marion Motley (85).

Adrian Peterson

Adrian Peterson is a name that is synonymous with NFL greatness. He has been in the league for 10 seasons and has racked up 99 touchdowns in that time.

NFL career

Adrian Lewis Peterson (born March 21, 1985) is an American football running back for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oklahoma, and was drafted by the Vikings seventh overall in the 2007 NFL Draft.

Throughout his career, Peterson has been one of the most efficient and consistent running backs in the NFL. In 2012, he set an NFL single-season record for rushing yards with 2,097. In 2015, Peterson became the third fastest player to reach 10,000 rushing yards in NFL history.

Rushing touchdowns

Adrian Peterson has the most rushing touchdowns in the NFL with 106.