D’Andre Swift now leads the NFL in rushing touchdowns. The Chicago Bears running back scored three times in Monday night’s 34–17 win at Seattle, his second three-touchdown game of the season, and has 10, one more than Buffalo’s Josh Allen. Allen had led alone with nine since Buffalo’s win over Baltimore on Sunday. Swift entered the game with seven.
Swift also moved into a tie for the most touchdowns by a player who runs or catches the ball. Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs has 10 as well, eight rushing and two receiving, in one game fewer. Four more players have nine. With Monday night finished, Week 8 is complete and every number below is final through eight weeks.
Rushing touchdown leaders after Week 8
| Rank | Player | Team | G | Att | Yards | Rush TD | Week 8 TD | TD after Wk 7 (rank) | Week 9 (Cairo time) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D’Andre Swift | CHI | 8 | 143 | 545 | 10 | 3 | 7 (T-5) | vs. Tampa Bay, Mon 03:20 |
| 2 | Josh Allen | BUF | 7 | 55 | 270 | 9 | 1 | 8 (T-1) | at Minnesota, Tue 03:15 |
| T-3 | Derrick Henry | BAL | 8 | 158 | 632 | 8 | 1 | 7 (T-5) | vs. Jacksonville, Fri 03:15 |
| T-3 | Christian McCaffrey | SF | 7 | 84 | 389 | 8 | Bye | 8 (T-1) | vs. Las Vegas, Sun 23:25 |
| T-3 | Jonathan Taylor | IND | 8 | 148 | 610 | 8 | 0 | 8 (T-1) | vs. Dallas, Sun 20:00 |
| T-3 | Javonte Williams | DAL | 8 | 134 | 528 | 8 | 0 | 8 (T-1) | at Indianapolis, Sun 20:00 |
| T-3 | Jahmyr Gibbs | DET | 7 | 157 | 773 | 8 | 1 | 7 (T-5) | at Miami, Sun 20:00 |
| 8 | James Cook III | BUF | 7 | 138 | 707 | 7 | 1 | 6 (T-8) | at Minnesota, Tue 03:15 |
| T-9 | Tony Pollard | TEN | 8 | 133 | 595 | 6 | 2 | 4 (T-11) | Bye |
| T-9 | Kyren Williams | LAR | 8 | 112 | 548 | 6 | 1 | 5 (10) | at Washington, Sun 20:00 |
| T-9 | Kenneth Walker III | KC | 7 | 141 | 770 | 6 | 0 | 6 (T-8) | vs. NY Jets, Sun 20:00 |
Swift’s 10 touchdowns have come on 545 yards and 143 carries, so he scores once every 14.3 carries and averages 68.1 yards a game. Gibbs has 773 yards and eight rushing touchdowns, and Allen has nine touchdowns on 55 carries for 270 yards. Seven players have at least eight rushing touchdowns, and five of them are tied at eight.
Swift’s three on Monday came on 27 carries for 69 yards. Seven of his 10 touchdowns have come in the last four games, in which he has 234 yards on 74 carries. He opened the season with 124 yards and three touchdowns at Carolina, then went three games without scoring, and his 17-game pace is about 21. The single-season record is 28, set by LaDainian Tomlinson in 2006.
Swift and Allen, week by week
| Week | Swift | Swift TD | Swift total | Allen | Allen TD | Allen total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 124 yds, 18 car. | 3 | 3 | 23 yds, 6 car. | 2 | 2 |
| 2 | 45 yds, 16 car. | 0 | 3 | 69 yds, 14 car. | 2 | 4 |
| 3 | 84 yds, 20 car. | 0 | 3 | 22 yds, 8 car. | 2 | 6 |
| 4 | 58 yds, 15 car. | 0 | 3 | 4 yds, 5 car. | 1 | 7 |
| 5 | 43 yds, 9 car. | 1 | 4 | 121 yds, 10 car. | 1 | 8 |
| 6 | 44 yds, 16 car. | 2 | 6 | 1 yds, 5 car. | 0 | 8 |
| 7 | 78 yds, 22 car. | 1 | 7 | Bye | – | 8 |
| 8 | 69 yds, 27 car. | 3 | 10 | 30 yds, 7 car. | 1 | 9 |
Allen scored in each of Buffalo’s first five games, with eight touchdowns by the end of Week 5, and has one in the two games since then, with a bye in Week 7. Swift led after Week 1 with three to Allen’s two, then trailed after every week from Week 2 through Week 7 and passed him only on Monday night. Six rushing games of three touchdowns have been played this season, and Swift has two of them, in Weeks 1 and 8. The others belong to Derrick Henry in Week 1, Javonte Williams and Brian Robinson Jr. in Week 4 and Tony Pollard in Week 7.
Touchdowns by rushing and receiving after Week 8
| Rank | Player | Team | Pos | G | Rush TD | Rec TD | Total | Per game | Total after Wk 7 (rank) | Week 9 (Cairo time) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-1 | D’Andre Swift | CHI | RB | 8 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 1.25 | 7 (9) | vs. Tampa Bay, Mon 03:20 |
| T-1 | Jahmyr Gibbs | DET | RB | 7 | 8 | 2 | 10 | 1.43 | 9 (T-1) | at Miami, Sun 20:00 |
| T-3 | Derrick Henry | BAL | RB | 8 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 1.12 | 8 (T-3) | vs. Jacksonville, Fri 03:15 |
| T-3 | Josh Allen | BUF | QB | 7 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 1.29 | 8 (T-3) | at Minnesota, Tue 03:15 |
| T-3 | Javonte Williams | DAL | RB | 8 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 1.12 | 9 (T-1) | at Indianapolis, Sun 20:00 |
| T-3 | Jaxon Smith-Njigba | SEA | WR | 8 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 1.12 | 8 (T-3) | vs. Arizona, Sun 23:25 |
| T-7 | Christian McCaffrey | SF | RB | 7 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 1.14 | 8 (T-3) | vs. Las Vegas, Sun 23:25 |
| T-7 | Jonathan Taylor | IND | RB | 8 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 1.00 | 8 (T-3) | vs. Dallas, Sun 20:00 |
| T-7 | Kenneth Walker III | KC | RB | 7 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 1.14 | 8 (T-3) | vs. NY Jets, Sun 20:00 |
| T-10 | Chuba Hubbard | CAR | RB | 7 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 1.00 | 6 (T-10) | vs. Denver, Sun 20:00 |
| T-10 | James Cook III | BUF | RB | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 1.00 | 6 (T-10) | at Minnesota, Tue 03:15 |
| T-10 | Kyren Williams | LAR | RB | 8 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 0.88 | 6 (T-10) | at Washington, Sun 20:00 |
Gibbs has the best rate in the group at 1.43 touchdowns a game, which projects to 24 over 17 games. He had two rushing touchdowns in each of Weeks 1, 3 and 5, a receiving touchdown in Weeks 2 and 3, and one more rushing touchdown against Minnesota on Sunday. He has gone without a touchdown only once in seven games, in Week 7.
Seattle’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the only player in the top group who has not scored on the ground. His nine touchdowns are all receiving, including a 43-yard catch from Sam Darnold on Monday night, and no other receiver has more than six. Ja’Marr Chase, CeeDee Lamb, Christian Watson and Mike Gesicki are next at six apiece. Smith-Njigba has scored in six of Seattle’s eight games, including three at Arizona in Week 2.
Henry and Dallas’ Javonte Williams each have eight rushing and one receiving touchdown. Javonte Williams and Gibbs led this list after Week 7 with nine, and Swift was ninth with seven. The table counts touchdowns scored by running or catching, and none of the 12 players has a return touchdown. Touchdown passes are not included; Joe Burrow leads the league with 20 of those.
What Week 9 can change
Swift and the Bears host Tampa Bay at 03:20 Cairo time on Monday morning, a week after Tampa Bay held Atlanta to zero points. Allen and James Cook III, who has seven, play at Minnesota at 03:15 on Tuesday. Henry’s Ravens host Jacksonville at 03:15 on Friday, and Gibbs and the Lions visit Miami at 20:00 on Sunday.
Jonathan Taylor’s Colts host Dallas at 20:00 on Sunday, the same game Javonte Williams plays in. Christian McCaffrey and San Francisco come off a bye to host Las Vegas at 23:25, and Smith-Njigba’s Seahawks host Arizona at the same time. Pollard and Tennessee are on a bye.
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