We still haven’t got over Jamaal Charles’ incredible performance for the Kansas City Chiefs against the Oakland Raiders from 2013. 

Whilst there are a lot of electrifying running backs in the league right now, the likes of Dalvin Cook, Jonathan Taylor and Derrick Henry, there was just something different about Jamaal Charles, especially during his days with the Kansas City Chiefs.  

Having been picked in the 3rd round of the 2008 draft, it took him a year before he burst onto the scene, but when he did it was more than worth the wait. His 2nd year produced the first of his 5 1,000+ rushing yard seasons and helped set the stage for the player that he would become.

He currently holds the record in the NFL for having the best average yards-per-carry for a running back with 5.4, although that record is in serious jeopardy with Nick Chubb of the Cleveland Browns is nipping at his heels at 5.3.

But whilst Chubb might be able to take down that record at some point, he will have to go some way to having a better day than the one Charles had against the Raiders in 2013. 

High five

It was week 15 and the Chiefs, who were standing at 10-3 going into the game were in the midst of a tight race to try and claw back 1st place in the division from the Peyton Manning led Denver Broncos, whilst also jockeying themselves to try and get a wildcard spot if that didn’t materialise.

So they needed a big performance if they were to give themselves the best chance, and as the Kansas City Chiefs reminded us all of on social media, a big performance out of Charles is exactly what they got as he managed to bag 5 touchdowns on the day, including an NFL record for most receiving touchdowns by a running back in a game with 4: 

The result ultimately ended up helping them get over the line as they finished 2nd in the AFC West and bagged the 5th seed for the playoffs, where they ultimately lost to the Indianapolis Colts in the Wild Card round. 

But it still gave Chiefs fans something to celebrate on the day and helped cement Charles’ place as one of the best running backs of his era before injuries started taking their toll in 2015 and his eventual retirement in 2019.