NFL Players With the Most Points in a Season

In his sixth season with the

San Diego Chargers

, Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson broke the

NFL

record for the most rushing touchdowns in a season with 28 in 2006.

And as the versatile back also hauled in three touchdown passes, he also set the league record for the most total touchdowns in a season and the mark for the most points scored in a single campaign, racking up 186.

While kickers usually are among the top point-getters in a season (and in league history, for that matter), the top three players with the most points scored in an NFL season are running backs. But don’t worry, there are still plenty of kickers who made their way onto this list of players with the most points in a single NFL season.

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1

LaDainian Tomlinson (186)

LaDainian Tomlinson set an NFL record with 31 touchdowns during the 2006 season

In 2006, LaDainian Tomlinson put together one of the best seasons by a running back in league history. Although the San Diego Chargers star didn’t break the 2,000-yard rushing mark, he led the NFL with 1,815 yards on the ground and set an NFL single-season record with 28 rushing touchdowns.

Tomlinson, who won NFL MVP that season, averaged a league-high 113.4 rushing yards per game and also showed his versatility in the backfield by catching 56 passes for 503 yards and three touchdowns, thus giving him 31 for the year and 186 total points.

Tomlinson was a five-time All-Pro and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017.

2

Paul Hornung (176)

Green Bay Packers star Paul Hornung did it all during his 176-point season in 1960

In 1960,

Green Bay Packers

star Paul Hornung ran, caught, and kicked his way to a 176-point season.

The former Notre Dame star ran for a league-best 13 touchdowns and caught two TD passes. He also booted 15 field goals and converted 41 extra-point kicks to set a new NFL mark for most points in a season with 176, which stood for 46 years before Tomlin’s 186-point outburst.

Hornung played all nine of his seasons with the Packers and was named a First-Team All-Pro twice. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1986.

3

Shaun Alexander (168)

Shaun Alexander proved he was one of the best backs in the NFL during his days with the Seattle Seahawks

It’s tough to figure out why Shaun Alexander isn’t a member of the Hall of Fame. The former

Seattle Seahawks

running back had five straight seasons with 14 or more rushing touchdowns. He finished with a league-best 27 in 2005 and also added a receiving score to finish the year with 168 points scored.

During that season, Alexander also led the league with 1,880 rushing yards and was voted NFL MVP.

To put that into perspective, Hall of Fame running back Terrell Davis of the

Denver Broncos

had just three seasons with 10 or more rushing touchdowns. He also had four seasons with 1,000 or more rushing yards, while Alexander did it five straight times.

In any case, Alexander was a dominant running back who finished his career with 100 rushing touchdowns.

4

David Akers (166)

David Akers shined with the Philadelphia Eagles, but he finished with 166 points in 2011 with the San Francisco 49ers

The first full-time kicker to appear on this list, David Akers had one heck of a season in 2011.

After kicking for the

Philadelphia Eagles

for 12 seasons, Akers moved on to the

San Francisco 49ers

, for whom he booted a league-high 44 field goals and converted all 34 of his extra points, giving him 166 points for the season. It was the third straight Pro Bowl season for Akers, who also was named a First-Team All-Pro.

Akers kicked in the league for 16 seasons, making 386 field goals.

5

Gary Anderson (164)

Gary Anderson may be known for his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he made history with the Minnesota Vikings

Kicker Gary Anderson made his money in the NFL by playing 13 seasons with the

Pittsburgh Steelers

, but he made history in his first season with the

Minnesota Vikings

.

Anderson began his NFL career kicking for the Steelers from 1982 to 1994. After short stints with the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers, he hooked on with the Vikings in 1998. In that season, he was perfect in the regular season, making all 35 of his field goals and converting all of his NFL-high 59 extra points to finish the season with a franchise-best 164 points.

Anderson was named a First-Team All-Pro that season and made the last of his four Pro Bowls. Just don’t ask Vikings fans what happened in the postseason.

6

Jeff Wilkins (163)

Jeff Wilkins kicked his way to a Pro Bowl season with the St. Louis Rams in 2003

Jeff Wilkins spent 11 of his 14 NFL seasons kicking for the

St. Louis Rams

and made his lone Pro Bowl in 2003.

Wilkins led the NFL in field goal attempts (42) and makes (39) and also went 46-for-46 in extra-point attempts to finish the season with 163 points. He made all four of his field-goal attempts of 50 yards or more that year and was named a Second-Team All-Pro in what was his 10th NFL season.

Wilkins made 375 field goals in his career and made 81.9% of his kicks.

7

Priest Holmes (162)

Priest Holmes had quite a stretch with the Kansas City Chiefs in the early 2000s

Priest Holmes had one heck of a stretch as a running back with the

Kansas City Chiefs

.

Holmes played just six seasons with Kansas City, but he earned First-Team All-Pro honors in his first three years with the team. In 2003, Holmes finished with 27 rushing touchdowns to lead the league in that department for the second straight year after recording 21 the previous season.

In 2003, Holmes also had 70 receptions, but none of them went for a touchdown, giving him 162 points for the year. He finished his career with 86 rushing touchdowns and had four seasons of rushing for better than 1,000 yards.

8

Mark Moseley (161)

Mark Moseley racked up 161 points a year after his unlikely NFL MVP honor with Washington

Kicker Mark Moseley booted 33 field goals and led the league with 62 extra points to account for his 161 points in 1983, and that wasn’t even his NFL MVP season. That’s right, a kicker was named the Most Valuable Player of the National Football League.

The Washington kicker was named MVP during the strike-shortened 1982 season after making 95.2% of his field-goal attempts. He led the league with 20 field goals that season. During his career, Moseley led the NFL in field goals made four times.

Moseley kicked in the NFL for 16 years, 13 of them coming with Washington.

9

Marshall Faulk (160)

Marshall Faulk showed he could do it all out of the backfield, scoring 160 points with the St. Louis Rams in 2000

Marshall Faulk was a key player in the St. Louis Rams’ “Greatest Show on Turf” crew. The versatile running back had 18 rushing touchdowns and eight TD catches during the 2000 season and also had a pair of two-point conversions that gave him a total of 160 points for the year.

Faulk’s 18 rushing scores were a league-high, as was his 5.4 yards-per-carry average. He finished the season with 1,359 rushing yards and 830 receiving yards and was named NFL MVP.

Faulk had a run of five straight Pro Bowl seasons, beginning with his final year with the

Indianapolis Colts

in 1998. He was named First-Team All-Prl. Faulk was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.

10

Stephen Gostkowski (158)

Stephen Gostkowski made 87.4% of his field-goal attempts with the New England Patriots

Stephen Gostkowski proved to be one of the game’s best kickers during his run with the

New England Patriots

from 2006 to 2019. He made three straight Pro Bowls from 2013 to 2015 and earned the honor four times in his career.

In 2013, Gostkowski led the NFL in field goals attempted (41) and made (38). He also went 44-for-44 in extra points, giving him a total of 158 points for the season.

Gostkowski won three Super Bowls with the Patriots and made 374 field goals in his 14 years with the team, connecting on 87.4% of his attempts.

11

Matt Bryant (158)

Matt Bryant kicked for five different teams during his 16-year NFL career. He made the lone Pro Bowl of his career in 2016 as a member of the

Atlanta Falcons

after leading the league with 56 extra points and 34 field goals for 158 points.

Bryant made 56 of 57 extra points and booted a 59-yard field goal that year in helping Atlanta reach the Super Bowl (don’t ask Falcons fans what happened there, either).

Bryant spent the final 11 years of his career in Atlanta and retired following the 2019 campaign, having made 87.5% of his field-goal attempts for the franchise.

12

Greg Zuerlein (158)

Greg Zuerlein earned Pro Bowl honors with the St. Louis Rams in 2017

Known as “Greg the Leg,” Greg Zuerlein could boot it far, and he was also on target. He kicked for 12 years in the NFL, the first eight coming with the St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams and finished his career by making 83.1% of his field-goal attempts.

In 2017, Zuerlein made his only Pro Bowl by making 95.7% of his field goals (38 of 40) and 44 of his 46 extra points, giving him 158 points for the season. Zuerlein was also named a First-Team All-Pro.

Zuerlein also kicked for the

New York Jets

and

Dallas Cowboys

and made a field goal of 60 yards or longer in three seasons.

All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless stated otherwise.

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