Alfred Morris on Monday night hit 1,000 yards rushing, becoming just the second Washington Redskins rookie running back to reach that milestone.
Morris’ 19-yard run to the left side in the first quarter against the New York Giants got him over 1,000. He entered the “Monday Night Football” game 18 yards short.
In the third quarter, Morris set the rookie franchise record for rushing yards in a season, getting to 1,071. The previous high was set by Reggie Brooks in 1993 (1,063).
Morris, a sixth-round pick out of Florida Atlantic, has been the Redskins’ most pleasant surprise this season, teaming up with Robert Griffin III to give defenses more than one thing to worry about on the ground.
It was thought during preseason that Morris could be part of a running back-by-committee approach. Instead, he showed that he could be the guy.
“You can see very early that he was a guy that had the ability to be a first-, second- and third-down back,” coach Mike Shanahan said last week. “And that is what he is getting a chance to do; he is going to be out there until he needs a break. And he can play first, second, or third down. You don’t run across guys like that very often. He is a special kid.”
Morris became the Redskins’ first 1,000-yard rusher since Clinton Portis in 2008.
Teammates were not surprised that Morris was approaching such a substantial milestone.
“He can get 1,600 or 1,700 if he wants,” center Will Montgomery said last week. “He can get 2,000. The guy’s amazing.”
