Miles
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- Mar 18, 2019
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The Lead
Put some respect on Phillip Lindsay's name!
So says former Pro Bowl running back Maurice Jones-Drew, who was inspired enough by Lindsay's performance against the Chargers to feature the third-year back in his weekly RB-focused column for NFL.com.
"Lindsay's been a hugely impactful playmaker since he entered the NFL in 2018, but it seems like people often don't put a lot of weight behind his accomplishments, in part because he went undrafted," Jones-Drew writes. "In fact, I believe he's the most disrespected running back in the NFL today."
Though Lindsay (and Melvin Gordon III, too) received few carries against the Chargers since the Broncos fell behind quickly, he made the most of those that he received. His 55-yard sprint for a touchdown sparked Denver's momentous comeback.
"[H]e's extremely explosive and has good vision," Jones-Drew writes. "He's able to find creases and take it the distance. People seem to expect Lindsay to flash here and there before fading with the seasons. He's done anything but in his two-plus years in the league, posting back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing performances and a career average of 5.1 yards per carry."
With his yards-per-carry average and his status as unheralded player entering the NFL, Jones-Drew says Lindsay is in very rare company so far in his career.
"Lindsay's in an exclusive club, joining Aaron Jones, Jamaal Charles and Bo Jackson as the only players since 1970 who were either undrafted or selected outside the first two rounds before going on to record 2,000-plus rush yards and an average of 5.0-plus yards per carry in their first three seasons," Jones-Drew writes.
Lindsay may not have made Jones-Drew's ranking of the top 10 running backs of the 2020 season thus far, but it seems like just a matter of time, based on these thoughts.