Sanders Has Fast Finishes Down Pat Superstar Running Back Soars Past 2,000 Yards With Late Dashes That Help Detroit Gain Playoffs
Barry Sanders’ surge past 2,000 yards went the same way as his season: slow at the start, explosive at the finish.
Sanders, who joined Eric Dickerson and O.J. Simpson as the only players to surpass the mark, had only 20 yards at halftime and 23 deep into the third quarter Sunday as the Detroit Lions trailed the New York Jets.
But he responded with gains of 47 and 53 yards and scored on a 15-yard run, giving the Lions a 13-10 victory and sending them into the playoffs.
In his first two games of the season, Sanders rushed for a total of just 53 yards. He’s been unstoppable ever since.
“We developed into a patient offense,” Sanders said.
“We don’t always have the best of starts.
“The most significant thing coming into this game was making sure we could play next week, and the 2,000 yards, that was secondary,” he said. “I never expected to be able to do this and I’m eternally grateful that it happened and I’m fortunate that I’m in elite company and I’m just very thankful.”
Sanders hugged his father on the sideline after reaching the milestone and was carried off the field by his offensive line. The victory gave Detroit (9-7) an NFC wild-card berth and kept the Jets out of the AFC playoffs.
“The line has worked so hard. They wanted this for me more than anybody in the world,” Sanders said.
He reached 2,000 yards with a 2-yard run late in the game, then burst free for 53 yards on the next play. That brought him to 2,053, beating Simpson’s 2,003 (1973) but trailing Dickerson’s 2,105 (1984). Dickerson was cheering for Sanders on the Detroit sideline.
Sanders finished with 184 yards and extended his record for consecutive games rushing over 100 yards to 14.
“Barry, he’s unbelievable,” Jets safety Victor Green said. “We broke down a couple of plays and he beat us. That’s been Barry, though, the whole season. You can shut him down for a while, then he breaks one.”
xxxx 2,000-plus Player Year Yards Eric Dickerson, Rams 1985 2,105 Barry Sanders, Lions 1997 2,053 O.J. Simpson, Bills 1973 2,003