Is Alan Ricard Better Than Jacory Croskey-Merritt? NFL Stats Decide

This is as close as it gets. Alan Ricard and Jacory Croskey-Merritt split the statistical categories evenly — 3 apiece — making this one of the most genuinely contested RB comparisons in NFL history. When the numbers are this balanced, the debate comes down to which statistics matter most to you.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt's Rushing Yards of 947 compared to Alan Ricard's 173 represents a 447.4% advantage — dramatically better than their counterpart in this critical category. Alan Ricard falls 96.9% below the career average of 5500 in this category while Jacory Croskey-Merritt exceeds it. It is the single most decisive number in this comparison and the clearest statistical argument for Jacory Croskey-Merritt's edge.

The most competitive category in this matchup is Yards Per Carry, where Alan Ricard posts 4.0 against Jacory Croskey-Merritt's 4.3 — a gap of just 7.5%. Jacory Croskey-Merritt can point to this as evidence that the overall comparison is closer than the final 3-3 tally suggests. In any debate, Yards Per Carry is the statistical ammunition for the Jacory Croskey-Merritt side.

Running back careers are defined by efficiency as much as volume. Yards per carry separates elite backs from good ones, while receiving ability from the backfield has become increasingly valuable in the modern NFL.

With categories split evenly, this comparison ultimately comes down to which statistics matter most to you. Jacory Croskey-Merritt claims the tiebreaker through Rushing Yards advantage — a 447.4% edge — but reasonable people can, and do, argue both sides of this NFL debate.