A player gaining 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving in the same season is so special that it has only happened twice in NFL history: Roger Craig did it with the 1985 49ers, and Marshall Faulk did it with the 1999 Rams. Now a third player is closing in on that territory.
Cardinals running back David Johnson already has 1,085 rushing yards this season. And with 745 receiving yards this season with three games to go, he has a shot at hitting 1,000 yards receiving as well.
Those are the kinds of statistics that usually get players MVP consideration. Craig came in third in MVP voting in 1985, while Faulk finished second to his teammate Kurt Warner in 1999. But this year -- even without a clear-cut MVP favorite -- Johnson has received almost no mention in MVP discussions.
That is, of course, because the Cardinals have been one of the more disappointing teams this season, declining from the NFC Championship Game last year to out of the playoffs this year. But that’s no reflection on Johnson, who has almost single-handedly kept the Cardinals’ offense moving in some games when it otherwise struggled.
It hasn’t been a good season in Arizona, but it has been a great season for Johnson. He’s one of the NFL’s best players, whether he receives any MVP votes or not.