Super Bowl LV's running backs could become the focus, putting decades-old rushing yards record in crosshairs

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Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady are the headliners for Super Bowl LV and with the way the NFL has been trending it will most likely come down to either player in the end.

However, if one of the running backs for either team gets going you never know what will happen. No one saw Raheem Mostert running for 220 yards against the Green Bay Packers in the 2019 NFC Championship.

The Chiefs boast a solid running back trio of Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Darrell Williams and Le’Veon Bell. If Edwards-Helaire can be healthy enough to perform, he could be a candidate to have a big game.

Tampa Bay is going with Ronald Jones and Leonard Fournette. Either player can turn into a game-breaker but getting 150-plus rushing yards or even running 30 times in this game seems unlikely.

Kansas City’s X-factor in last year’s Super Bowl, Damien Williams, opted out of the 2020 season because of the coronavirus.

Read below for the players who have had some of the best rushing performances in the Super Bowl.

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5). TERRELL DAVIS, SUPER BOWL XXXII

Terrell Davis was dominant at Super Bowl XXXII. (Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP via Getty Images)

Terrell Davis and the Denver Broncos played in one of the best Super Bowls against the Green Bay Packers. It was a back-and-forth game and it came down to the wire. Davis put the Broncos over the goal line in more ways than one. He had 157 rushing yards on 30 carries and three touchdowns, including the game-winner in the fourth quarter with 1:47 left in the game. Denver won, 31-24.

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4). FRANCO HARRIS, SUPER BOWL IX

Franco Harris had the rushing record for many years. (Photo by Sylvia Allen/Getty Images)

Franco Harris’ first-quarter score gave the Pittsburgh Steelers an early nine-point lead. Harris put up 158 rushing yards on 32 carries with the touchdown. He helped the Steelers to a 16-6 victory in Super Bowl IX over the Minnesota Vikings. At the time, Harris had the record for the most rushing yards in a Super Bowl. But not for long.

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3). JOHN RIGGINS, SUPER BOWL XVII

John Riggins broke Harris record years later. (Photo by Ronald C. Modra/Getty Images)

John Riggins and his Super Bowl performance with the Washington Redskins broke Harris’ record at the time. Riggins carried the ball 38 times and ran for 166 yards. He scored a 43-yard rushing touchdown, which gave the Redskins the lead in the fourth quarter over the Miami Dolphins. Washington won the game, 27-17.

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2). MARCUS ALLEN, SUPER BOWL XVIII

Marcus Allen had two records set in Super Bowl XVIII. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

The following year, Los Angeles Raiders running back Marcus Allen broke Riggins’ record. Allen and the Raiders defeated the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII, 38-9. Allen had 191 rushing yards on 20 carries with two touchdowns. He had a 5-yard rushing touchdown and a 74-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter. The 74-yard rush was the longest in Super Bowl history until Pittsburgh Steelers running back Willie Parker broke it in Super Bowl XL.

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1). TIMMY SMITH, SUPER BOWL XXII

Timmy Smith is the only running back to rush for more than 200 yards in a Super Bowl. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

Timmy Smith is the only Super Bowl competitor to have rushed for more than 200 yards. In Super Bowl XXII, he put up 204 yards on the ground on 22 carries for the Washington Redskins. He had two touchdowns in the 42-10 blowout of the Denver Broncos. Washington scored 42 unanswered points after Denver took an early 10-point lead. Doug Williams had four touchdown passes in the game.