Over the last couple of seasons, Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler has been one of the NFL’s most productive players.
Last season, he had 911 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns plus 647 yards and eight touchdowns in the air, and his 20 total touchdowns from scrimmage led the league.
This year, he’s once again leading everyone in total touchdowns with 18, 13 of them on the ground, and with 881 rushing yards, he has an outside chance of breaking the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career.
Yet Ekeler is still somewhat underrated and underappreciated.
He hasn’t made a Pro Bowl squad yet, as the voters went with Saquon Barkley, Tony Pollard and Miles Sanders at running back in the NFC.
Did those voters make a mistake by overlooking Ekeler?
Ekeler Is One Of The NFL’s Best Dual-Threat Running Backs
The sixth-year tailback isn’t as much of a workhorse as Nick Chubb or Derrick Henry, as he’s more of a finesse back at 5-foot-10 and 200 pounds, but in some ways, he’s almost as productive as Chubb or Henry because he does double-duty as a receiver.
He has been L.A.’s biggest and most-used offensive threat the last two years, and he has over 100 receptions this season, which puts him in a select group of running backs who have ever achieved that feat.
After putting up 122 rushing yards and two touchdowns in Week 17 versus the Los Angeles Rams, Ekeler was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week.
Players of the Week – Week 17
AFC
Offense: RB Austin Ekeler, LAC
Defense: DB Kyle Dugger, NE
ST: P Corey Bojorquez, CLENFC
Offense: WR Mike Evans, TB
Defense: DE Cameron Jordan, NO
ST: CB Keisean Nixon, GB— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 4, 2023
By contrast, Pollard has 988 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground and 371 yards and three scores in the air, and he only managed 79 total yards from scrimmage in the Dallas Cowboys’ win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17.
An objective observer would have to say that overall, Ekeler is a better player than Pollard, who has started just four games this season.
