IRVING, Texas – Given that he's averaging 4.4 yards per attempt, it's plausible to say Darren McFadden is one carry away from 1,000 yards.
It might not come on his first carry, but considering McFadden is sitting on 997 rushing yards, it seems like a safe bet that the Cowboys' veteran running back will give the organization its third-straight 1,000-yard rusher at some point this weekend.
That's a quite an accomplishment for an eight-year veteran with just one 1,000-yard season to his name. On top of that, it's a show of durability for a back whose reputation was mainly centered on his inability to stay healthy.
"That's always been a knock on me, as far as being durable and injuries and things," McFadden said. "I just feel like I showed a lot of people I can go out there and stay healthy and still run the ball at a high pace in this league."
McFadden has already set a career high for carries in a season, as his 227 touches on the year is more than his previous best of 223 – set in 2010, when he rushed for 1,157 yards. Theoretically, he could set his career high for yardage if he manages to put together 160 yards against the Redskins.
Either way, it already qualifies as an impressive season for a guy who wasn't even the starter heading into Week 1. McFadden tallied a grand total of 129 rushing yards in the first five weeks of the year, when he worked behind Joseph Randle.
In the 10 games since he took over the starting job, he's averaging 87 yards per game – which is third in the league in yards per game, trailing only Adrian Peterson and Doug Martin.
"I know that he's a guy that comes to work every single day and works incredibly hard," said Travis Frederick. "You can see it in his eyes, you could see it when he wasn't necessarily the 'starter' – he was the same guy no matter what."
It might be an accomplishment that falls by the wayside, especially considering the Cowboys will fall well short of the playoffs this season. But for all the things that have gone wrong this season, the team's faith in McFadden at least hasn't been one of them.
"It's just a great feeling," McFadden said. "I have to give full credit to my offensive line – those guys go out there and bust their butts every day. They make my job a lot easier out there running the ball."
