The NFL season can be long and grueling, still some players manage to rise above the rest and contribute to their teams like never before. These players in particular helped their teams offense in record numbers.
NFL teams strive on good defensive shapes that keep the opposing team at bay, but any real good defense needs a good offense and that is where these players come into play.
The NFL rules have changed and they are favoring more offensive minded teams, still some of the best teams in NFL history are built on defense, but these players were able to penetrate through those shapes and score the most touchdowns in an NFL season.
15. Terry Allen – 21 touchdowns
Terry Allen (Getty)
Terry Allen joined the Washington Redskins in 1995, but in 1996 he really torched the scoresheet with 21 touchdowns that season. Allen ran for 1,353 yards and was named to the Pro Bowl.
14. Emmitt Smith – 22 touchdowns
Emmitt Smith (Getty)
Emmitt Smith was a beast and it won’t be the only time he will appear on this list, but in 1994 he scored a total of 22 TDs for the Cowboys. Smith won three Super Bowls for the Cowboys and this was just one of his many dominant seasons in the NFL.
13. Gale Sayers – 22 touchdowns
Gale Sayers (Getty)
While playing for the Chicago Bears, Gale Sayers scored an amazing 22 touchdowns in his rookie season. It was enough to win him the Rookie of the Year that season. Sayersalso had a total of 2,272 all-purpose yards, a record for an NFL rookie.
12. Chuck Foreman – 22 touchdowns
Chuck Foreman (Getty)
Chuck Foreman was a tough hard nose running back and in 1975 he scored 22 touchdowns that season. He also led the league with 73 receptions, which set an NFL record. He would have been the leading scorer in 1975 if it was not for number 11 on this list.
11. O.J. Simpson – 23 touchdowns
O.J. Simpson (Getty)
In the 1975 season it was a race to see who would take the scoring title between Chuck Foreman and “The Juice” O.J. Simpson. Simpson won it by 1 touchdown although technically O.J. scored 16 touchdowns and scored 7 receiving touchdowns. Simpson was a phenomenal football player, maybe the most infamous NFL player ever.
10. Jerry Rice – 23 touchdowns
Jerry Rice (Getty)
In 1987 no player in the NFL was more dominant than Jerry Rice. The wide receiver scored a total of 23 touchdowns and by season’s end he was named the NFL MVP. What was amazing about Rice’s 87 stats was that he only played 12 games due to a players strike! What a year for Jerry!
9. Randy Moss – 23 touchdowns
Randy Moss (Getty)
In 2007 Randy Moss hit 23 touchdowns as the Patriots went to the Super Bowl. It was a season that started with stern contract negotiations and ended with a poor playoff form for Moss. In between he had a great regular season.
8. Terrell Davis – 23 touchdowns
Terrell Davis (Getty)
1998 was a MVP season for Terrell Davis, as he scored 23 touchdowns, he would win the following awards: AFC rushing title,NFL rushing title, and his second NFL Offensive Player of the Year, it all ended with a Super Bowl title by seasons end.
7. John Riggins – 24 touchdowns
John Riggins (Getty)
In 1983, John Riggins had a sensational season as he rushed for 1,347 yards, he won the Bert Bell Award, but fell short of winning the Super Bowl. Riggins 24 touchdowns were met with another record which he scored in 13 consecutive games.
6. Priest Holmes – 24 touchdowns
Priest Holmes (Getty)
Priest Holmes missed the first two games of 2002 due to injury, but after that he never looked back, he scored 24 touchdowns and 1,615 yards. Holmes holds the record for most touchdowns scored in Kansas City Chiefs history at 86.
5. Emmitt Smith – 25 touchdowns
Emmitt Smith 1995 (Getty)
Emmitt Smith is back on the list, and this time for his 1995 season when he scored 25 touchdowns for the Dallas Cowboys. Smith had 1,400 rushing yards that season making him the first player in NFL history to rush over 1,400 yards in more than five consecutive seasons.
4. Marshall Faulk – 26 touchdowns
Marshall Faulk (Getty)
Marshall Faulk scored 26 touchdowns in 2000 for the St.Louis Rams, Faulk was named the MVP of the 2000 season as he ran for 1,359 yards rushing and setting the touchdown record in 2000.
3. Priest Holmes – 27 touchdowns
Priest Holmes (Getty)
Priest Holmes is back and this time it was his 27 touchdowns in the 2003 season. Holmes set an NFL record that season as well for most games with 2 or more touchdowns in season at 10.
2. Shaun Alexander – 28 touchdowns
Shaun Alexander (Getty)
2005 was a career year for Shaun Alexander as he broke the Seattle Seahawks record for the most rushing yards in the Seattle Seahawks’ history. Alexander would score 28 touchdowns, and became the first player in NFL history to score 19 rushing or receiving touchdowns in only 10 games.
1. LaDainian Tomlinson – 31 touchdowns
LaDainian Tomlinson (Getty)
LaDainian Tomlinson has scored the most touchdowns in an NFL season at 31. He did so in 2006 and set another NFL record which was to score 14 TDs in a span of 4 games and 16 in 5 games. It would all end with 19 touchdowns in 6 games, what a year!
