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The San Francisco 49ers held off the New York Giants on Sunday, and Frank Gore was a big reason for any offensive success. Gore finished the game with 95 rushing yards on 19 carries. On Saturday, I had mentioned the importance of attacking the Giants run defense, and we saw why on Sunday. Going outside left and right generated tremendous success most of the day. The 49ers could not completely execute on offense, but we did at least see some positives in the run game.
Gore's 95 yards brings his career total to 10,615 rushing yards. His Sunday performance moved him past Thomas Jones and Jamal Lewis on the all-time rushing leaderboard. Gore is now in 22nd place, only 28 yards back of Ricky Watters. Here is how the next few players stand ahead of Gore:
21. Ricky Watters - 10,643
20. Warrick Dunn - 10,967
19. Steven Jackson - 11,148
18. O.J. Simpson - 11,236
17. Corey Dillon - 11,241
After Dillon, the only players not in the Hall of Fame are Fred Taylor (11,695), Edgerrin James (12,246), Jerome Bettis (13,662), and LaDanian Tomlinson (13,684). It is seemingly becoming harder and harder for a running back to get into the Hall of Fame, and a backlog has developed. If Gore can get a ring, it likely lowers the bar a little bit. Gore probably also needs to clear at least 12,000 rushing yards.
Gore is on pace for another 388 yards this season, although mileage could vary on where exactly he ends up by season's end. If he gets the 388 yards, that would put him at 11,003 career rushing yards. Steven Jackson is still playing, so Gore probably will not catch him. A couple monster games could get him closer to O.J. Simpson, but for now I'm just hoping to see him No. 20 all time by season's end. From there, it remains to be seen what his future holds.