Albert Young vs Marlon Barnes: Who Wins on NFL Stats?

This is as close as it gets. Albert Young and Marlon Barnes split the statistical categories evenly — 2 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.

Marlon Barnes's Yards Per Carry of 5.4 compared to Albert Young's 3.3 represents a 63.6% advantage — dramatically better than their counterpart in this critical category. Albert Young falls 19.5% below the career average of 4.1 in this category while Marlon Barnes exceeds it. It is the single most decisive number in this comparison and the clearest statistical argument for Marlon Barnes's edge.

The most competitive category in this matchup is Rushing Yards, where Albert Young posts 82 against Marlon Barnes's 81 — a gap of just 1.2%. Marlon Barnes can point to this as evidence that the overall comparison is closer than the final 2-2 tally suggests. In any debate, Rushing Yards is the statistical ammunition for the Marlon Barnes 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. Marlon Barnes claims the tiebreaker through Yards Per Carry advantage — a 63.6% edge — but reasonable people can, and do, argue both sides of this NFL debate.