Frank Gore has long been removed from the San Francisco 49ers, but Niners Nation is still a big Frank Gore house. We were high on him when he went to the Indianapolis Colts, and we’re still going to be checking on him in 2018 with his new team, the Miami Dolphins. Gore is no longer the bell cow he was, as he’s splitting carries with Kenyan Drake, but he was still productive with his nine carries, getting 61 yards.
This now puts him at 14,087 yards. Gore needs 15 more yards to pass Curtis Martin for No. 4 all-time on the rushing leaderboard. That shouldn’t be difficult and can be accomplished in Week 2 when the Dolphins face the New York Jets. Given Martin’s history with the Jets, it would be fitting to happen against them.
Once he gets the No. 4 spot locked up next week, Gore has Barry Sanders (15,269), Walter Payton (16,726), and Emmitt Smith (18,355) in front of him. Smith and Payton might both be out of the question given where Gore’s career is at in relation to his age, but Barry Sanders may be a distant (very large distance) possibility depending on how good Gore can finish out his career. It’s a longshot, but Gore is almost immortal — he just doesn’t call it quits.