Top 5 Touchdown Scorers in NFL History: Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith and More
Touchdowns are the name of the game in football. Players who score lots of touchdowns are very special. Here are the top 5 touchdown scorers in NFL History.
The top touchdown scorer in NFL History
Jerry Rice was thought to be too slow or that his hands were not good enough to be a top NFL Wide Receiver. Well Mr. Bill Walsh thought differently and drafted Jerry Rice in 1st round in 1985. All Rice did was help the San Francisco 49ers with several Super Bowls and become possibly the best football player in NFL History. Rice played an amazing 21 seasons for the 49ers, Raiders and Seahawks. In 303 games he scored 10 touchdowns rushing and 197 on pass receptions. With this total of 207 touchdowns this makes Jerry Rice, the Top Touchdown Scorer in NFL History. This is amazing as wide receivers traditionally don’t touch the ball as much as running backs, thus get less scoring opportunities.
The number 2 touchdown scorer in NFL History
Emmitt Smith was also thought to be too slow when he entered the NFL draft in 1990, after attending Florida. Then a contract dispute and hold out affected his rookie season. But the timing was right for Emmitt and the Dallas Cowboys and he soon excelled and became arguably the best running back in the game’s history. In 15 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals, he scored 164 rushing and 11 receiving touchdowns. The total of 175 touchdowns leaves Emmitt Smith as the 2nd leading touchdown scorer in NFL History.
Marcus Allen was expected to be a top pro football player when he entered the league after attending the University of Southern California. And he sure was! Starting in 1982 with the Raiders and finishing his career in 1997 with the Kansas City Chiefs. Marcus Allen scored 123 rushing and 21 receiving touchdowns in 221 games. His production may have been limited by sharing time as a Raider with Bo Jackson for a while. He was also in Raiders’ owner Al Davis’s dog house for several seasons and under utilized. However I think this may have prolonged his career, by limiting the beating he took as a feature back.
The 4th leading touchdown scorer in NFL History
Marshal Faulk is a rarity in the NFL in more ways than one. He was a superstar feature running back for two teams. Usually when a top player goes to a 2nd team, he has lost some of his skills. But from 1994 till 2005, Marshal Faulk was a top back for the Colts and then the Rams. He was also odd that while a great running back, he could have probably been a Pro Bowl Wide Reviver as well. In only 176 games, Faulk scored 100 rushing and 36 receiving touchdowns for 136 total. Marshal did have some injury problems, which led to an early retirement.
The 5th leading touchdown scorer in NFL History Chris Carter was an average receiver with the Philadelphia Eagles, so they were willing to let him go to the Minnesota Vikings. Big Mistake on their part! From 1987 to 2002 he played for the Eagles, Vikings, and Miami Dolphins. In 234 games Chris Carter caught 130 touchdown passes. He is the only player in the top 5 to not have both rushing and receiving touchdowns for his total. He is also the only one in the top 5 to not win a Super Bowl Ring in his career.
