Alabama looks to reach two milestones in Thursday night’s NFL game

Two former Alabama running backs could surpass 1,000 rushing yards for the 2024 season in Thursday night’s NFL game.

Josh Jacobs of the Green Bay Packers needs 13 rushing yards to reach the milestone for the fourth time in his career. Jahmyr Gibbs of the Detroit Lions is 27 rushing yards shy of his first 1,000-yard season.

Gibbs would be the eighth Alabama alumnus to record a 1,000-yard rushing season in the NFL. There have been 24 1,000-yard rushing seasons produced by former Crimson Tide players, including the sixth for Derrick Henry in 2024.

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Among other Alabama graduates, Shaun Alexander had five 1,000-yard rushing seasons, Najee Harris had three, Mark Ingram had three, and Bobby Humphrey and Eddie Lacy had two each.

Seven college programs have produced eight or more 1,000-yard NFL rushers. Georgia has 13, Notre Dame and Ohio State have 10 each, LSU and Southern Cal have nine each and Auburn and Miami (Florida) have eight each.

Four college programs had graduates who combined for more than 24 1,000-yard rushing seasons in the NFL. Eight Miami (Florida) graduates had 38 1,000-yard rushing seasons in the NFL. Thirteen Georgia alumni combined for 29. Ten Notre Dame alumni and six Pittsburgh alumni produced 27 each.

If Gibbs and Jacobs reach 1,000 rushing yards for the 2024 season on Thursday night, it will be the second time two Alabama alumni have reached that milestone on the same day in the NFL. In 2019, Henry and Jacobs surpassed 1,000 rushing yards for the season on December 1st.

There have been two NFL seasons in which three former Alabama players reached 1,000 rushing yards – 2019 with Henry, Ingram and Jacobs and 2022 with Henry, Jacobs and Najee Harris.

Harris has reached 1,000 rushing yards in all three of his NFL seasons. In 2024, Harris has 207 carries for 824 yards and four touchdowns with five games remaining in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ regular season schedule.

If Gibbs, Harris and Jacobs join Henry as 1,000-yard rushers in 2024, it wouldn’t be the first time a college program has four 1,000-yard alumni in the same season. Frank Gore, Edgerrin James, Willis McGahee and Clinton Portis from Miami, Florida did so in 2007.

The Lions and Packers meet at Ford Field in Detroit on Thursday at 7:15 p.m. CST. Prime Video will televise the game.

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The focus of the game will not be on the 1,000-yard milestone. The Lions have the best record in the NFC at 11-1 and the Packers have a record of 9-3. The teams in the NFC North standings include the Minnesota Vikings with a record of 10-2.

“The wins are more important to me, man,” Jacobs said when asked Monday if he will reach 1,000 rushing yards in 2024. “The awards – whatever.”

Detroit defeated Green Bay 24-14 on November 3rd.

Jacobs ran for 95 yards on 13 carries in that game and enters Thursday night’s rematch with 987 yards and eight touchdowns on 221 rushing attempts this season.

Gibbs ran for 65 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries in the first game against the Packers. He rushed for 973 yards and 10 touchdowns on 163 rushing attempts in 2024.

In Detroit, Gibbs forms a running back duo with David Montgomery, nicknamed “Sonic and Knuckles.” Last season, both reached nearly 1,000 rushing yards, Montgomery at 1,015 and Gibbs at 945.

Montgomery has 720 rushing yards this season. If Montgomery maintains his average of 60 rushing yards per game, the Lions would become the sixth NFL team to have two running backs reach 1,000 rushing yards in the same season, joining the 1972 Miami Dolphins, 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers, the 1985 Cleveland Browns and the new 2008 York Giants and 2009 Carolina Panthers.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.