Bettis' 2004 Game Against Oakland Will Be Cherished By Fans Forever

Published on April 6th, 2024 1:05 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


Jerome Bettis was nicknamed "The Bus" and it wasn't hard to see why.

The 5'11, 252 pound running back was an absolute tank of a man. Bettis was very hard to take down, as he was big with a low center of gravity.

This made him perfect for short yardage work.

During his run with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Bettis was the go-to option when the team got near the opposing team's goal line. You knew he was coming and you still couldn't stop him.

During Pittsburgh's fantastic 15-1 season in 2004, Bettis managed to post one of the most unusual stat lines in the history of the NFL.

In the opening week of the season, the Steelers defeated the Oakland Raiders by a score of 24-21.

Bettis rushed for three touchdowns in the game, but only posted 1 yard of rushing.

How did this happen?

Bettis rushed a total of five times in the game:

1 yard TD run
1 yard TD run
1 yard TD run
No gain
Loss of two yards

Add that up and you get:

3 TDs
1 yard of rushing

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Despite rushing for just 1 yard in the first game of the season, Bettis would go on to rush for 941 yards and 13 touchdowns at the age of 32, which is an incredible feat for a 32 year-old.

Bettis would play one more season for the Steelers before electing to retire after the 2005 season.

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Bettis will forever possess one of the craziest stat lines in NFL history.