Timmy Smith has the most running yards in a Super Bowl, with 204 yards against the Broncos in Super Bowl XXII on January 31, 1988.
He's also the only player to score a touchdown in a Super Bowl game.
Smith was the workhorse back for the Redskins, who drafted him in the second round of the 1987 NFL Draft. He appeared in all but one game during his first three seasons, finishing with 1,079 yards and nine touchdowns. The following year, he led the league with 14 touchdowns, was second with 997 yards from scrimmage, and earned First Team All-NFL honors.
After missing the final two games of 1995 due to suspension, he returned in 1996 and played eight more seasons before retiring after the 2005 season. He went over 100 yards rushing four times and scored a touchdown every other year during his career.
The NFL champion is determined by way of a single-elimination tournament known as the NFL playoffs. The team that wins its division gets a bye week and a home game in the NFC Championship Game, which is called the National Football Conference (NFC) Divisional Round.
Smith, Timmy Allen's record would be surpassed four years later by Redskins running back Timmy Smith, whose 204 rushing yards in Washington's 42-10 victory over the Broncos remain the Super Bowl single-game rushing record.
He was also the first player to score a touchdown rushing and receiving in the same game.
In addition, Smith is the only player in NFL history to score multiple touchdowns in three different ways: rushing, receiving, and returning a kick or punt for a touchdown.
He died at the age of 36 in an airplane crash near his home in Ardsley, Maryland. Smith's death came just two days before he was scheduled to appear on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson". He was given a public funeral with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.
His wife and two children followed him into death when their plane crashed less than a mile from where Smith was celebrating his birthday. The cause of the accident has never been determined with certainty but there were signs of mechanical trouble with the plane.
Timmy Allen's record has been beaten several times since then, most recently by Doug Martin of the Buccaneers in 2015.
Steve McNair, on the other hand, has the most running yards in a single Super Bowl game. In Super Bowl XXXIV, he carried for 64 yards against the St. Louis Rams. Mahomes has rushed for precisely 53 yards in each of his playoff games this season. That's not going to get it done in February.
But the truth is that no one knows what will happen when the Chiefs play football. One moment they are throwing touchdown passes; the next they are on the ground trying to figure out why nobody is covering Dante Hall. There are no sure things in football, only probabilities. So while we can't predict what will happen when these two teams meet on Sunday, we can look back at history and know that there is a good chance that Steve McNair will be the one carrying the ball for his team.
Gibbs used Smith more frequently in wins against Chicago and Minnesota, and he responded with 66 and 72 yards. That was enough for Gibbs to choose Smith over Rogers in the Super Bowl. He did not inform the team. Timmy Smith was born in September 1988. His 204 running yards still stand as a Super Bowl record. Image credit: Focus On Sport/Getty Images
He also caught six passes for 52 yards. That gave him 176 all-purpose yards, which is still a Super Bowl record.
Smith's record will likely be broken by Elliott this season. In two games this year, he has 1,761 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns. He also has 515 receiving yards and one touchdown catch.
Elliott already has three consecutive 100-yard games and five total touchdowns. He will have a chance to break Smith's record in Sunday's game against the Eagles. The Cowboys are expected to use many different roles with their running back group this season.
Copyright © 2020 - 2023 Sportsmanist Inc.
