Cleveland Browns: Top 5 rushing performances since 1999
1. Jerome Harrison, December 20th, 2009
It’s not often that a relative unknown can totally change the course of an NFL game. But in week 15 of the 2009 season, Browns running back Jerome Harrison managed to do just that in a matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Chiefs were just 3-10 coming into this game, and the Browns were actually worse. At just 2-11, the Browns were absolutely putrid coming into this one. But, they had beaten the archrival Pittsburgh Steelers just a week before, giving a shot in the arm to the entire team. The adrenaline boost continued well into week 15, and Jerome Harrison felt the brunt of it, and rushed for 286 yards.
This counted as the third-highest rushing total in one game in the history of the NFL. Behind just Adrian Peterson and Jamal Lewis, Harrison found himself in great company, and hoped to continue his performance in weeks 16 and 17. Had he replicated the same numbers both times, he would have rushed for 858 yards in just three games. But instead, Harrison flamed out just as quickly as he arrived for the Browns.
While his hot streak continued for the next two games, Harrison was never able to reclaim the stratospheric heights he reached in the game against the Chiefs. He rushed for 862 yards that season, and the final three games counted for 561 of them, just over 65 percent of his yards.
Next. Top 5 rookie seasons since 1999. dark
Still, even if Harrison never hit the same mark again in his career, he had the greatest single game as a running back in the history of the post-1999 Browns.