Despite missing 16 games so far during his career due to either injuries or suspensions, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell has managed to put up some eye-popping numbers when he has been on the field.
In the 39 regular season games that he has played in since being drafted in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Steelers, Bell has registered 4,755 total yards from scrimmage and that currently has him ranked 10th overall on the league’s all-time list when it comes to player’s first 40 games played in.
The Steelers Sunday road game against the Baltimore Ravens will mark Bell’s 40th game played in of his career and thus he figures to move way up the all-time list with a solid performance. 147 total yards from scrimmage against the Ravens will result in him being ranked fifth-overall on that list and just ahead of former NFL running back Clinton Portis.
Interesting enough, of the top 10 players listed below, Bell’s yards per touch average of 5.30 has him ranked fifth overall.
According to the NFL’s research department, Bell’s career yards from scrimmage average (121.9) entering Sunday’s game against the Ravens is second only to Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown dating back to 1932. That stat is also based on a minimum of 30 games played.
So far this season, Bell has reached 100 total yards from scrimmage in each of his first four games played in. If the Steelers are to beat the Ravens on Sunday, Bell will more than likely need to extend that streak to five games. Additionally, the Michigan State product has posted at least 100 total yards from scrimmage in 25 of the 39 regular-season games that he’s played in so far during his career.
It’s scary to think about what kind of numbers that Bell would have right now had he not missed the equivalent of one full regular season due to injuries and suspensions. Regardless, he is currently one of the league’s best running backs with no signs that his abilities are diminishing.
Bell will be an unrestricted free agent after the 2016 season is over and one would think that the Steelers will do everything in their power to keep him in Pittsburgh for several more years.
