Georgia football: Bulldog running backs top playoff touchdown list
Sony Michel’s touchdown at Super Bowl LIII moves him to second place all-time behind fellow former Georgia football running back Terrell Davis on the NFL’s list of most touchdowns in a postseason.
Regardless of how you felt about last night’s Super Bowl, one thing you can be proud of as a Georgia football fan is the updated list of the most touchdowns in a single postseason. Going into the game, Terrell Davis was alone at the top with the eight touchdowns he scored in the 1998 postseason en route to Denver’s Super Bowl win over Green Bay. Sony Michel was a part of a long, prestigious group of running backs with five.
Then, in the fourth quarter, Michel plunged into the end zone for his sixth touchdown in the 2019 postseason. Now, the best two playoff touchdown scorers are Bulldogs. Coincidentally, they are Bulldogs who, for parts of their Georgia careers, were underappreciated before becoming instant stars in the NFL.
Davis dealt with injuries in 1993 and 1994 that diminished his production. Then head coach Ray Goff’s mismanagement of Davis’ injuries made matters worse for him and he fell to the sixth round in the 1995 draft. But Davis quickly forgave Goff, as falling to the Broncos was the best thing to ever happen to him. He became a superstar, broke the NFL postseason touchdown record, ran for 2,000 yards in 1998 and joined the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017.
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Michel was on a similar trajectory before Kirby Smart became head coach. People forget how his shoulder injury in 2014 helped pave the way for Nick Chubb becoming a superstar. And when Chubb got injured in 2015, then offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer underutilized Michel, not seeing him as a true no. 1 back who could carry the load for the offense. Thankfully, Smart and former OC Jim Cheney realized his star power, and Michel became a first round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.