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Devonta Freeman: Will He Break Turner’s TD Record?

By John Buhler

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Devonta Freeman has had an unbelievable start to 2015 with a league-best 9 rushing touchdowns. Can he best Michael Turner‘s 2008 season with the Falcons?

Through the first six weeks of the 2015 NFL season, Atlanta Falcons RB Devonta Freeman is having an All-Pro caliber year for the Dirty Birds.

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Freeman, in his second season in the NFL, has already rushed for 505 yards for 9 touchdowns, on an impressive 4.8 yards per carry average. Keep in mind that Devonta Freeman didn’t start for the Atlanta Falcons this first two weeks on 2015, hence the 84.2 yards per game average.

Since taking over for the injured rookie tailback Tevin Coleman in Week 2, Devonta has scored 10 touchdowns for the Atlanta Falcons (9 rushing to 1 receiving) and all but 43 of 505 rushing yards having come in the last four games.

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Even through the air, Devonta Freeman has been sensational, with 32 for 296 yards and a touchdown. Watching Freeman play is like seeing RB Warrick Dunn in his prime, but with way more touchdowns. As a former Florida State Seminole himself, that is a huge complement to compare Freeman to Dunn.

I’ve seen this type of season from an Atlanta Falcons tailback twice before: 1998 and 2008, a season where Atlanta has arguably the best running back in football. Ironically, Jamal Anderson‘s 1998 campaign and Michael Turner’s 2008 season took the league by storm to All-Pro seasons for the Falcons tailbacks.

Where it stands now, the Atlanta Falcons’ record for most rushing touchdowns in a season only eight away from Freeman’s season total at 17. With Atlanta fortunate to have the softest schedule in football and a revamped offensive line thanks to OC Kyle Shanahan’s zone blocking scheme, Devonta Freeman is on pace to score 24 rushing touchdowns in 2015, steam rolling Turner’s franchise record.

Though I’m sure opponents will now have to seriously game plan about keeping Devonta Freeman out of the end zone, they can’t simply stack the box against him because he’s a great receiving threat out of the backfield. I think that Freeman’s sure-handedness, complemented with a passer like QB Matt Ryan should give Devonta ample opportunities to shatter Michael Turner’s record this fall.

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The only thing I see slowing down Devonta Freeman this fall is an injury. However, to come back after a month-long bout with his hamstring in the preseason to becoming arguably the most valuable commodity in fantasy football makes me think that Devonta breaks Turner’s Atlanta Falcons’ rushing touchdown record.

Should he be able to keep up this vigorous pace of his, we may need to start talking about if he can put up LaDainian Tomlinson, Priest Holmes type of rushing numbers in 2015. Even after losing to the New Orleans Saints on Thursday Night Football, the Atlanta Falcons are in great position to make a serious run in the NFC, thanks to the magnificent play of RB Devonta Freeman. Rise Up!

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