Dallas Cowboys‘ Ezekiel Elliott and New Orleans Saints‘ Alvin Kamara came into the league one year apart not so very long ago, in 2016 and 2017 respectively, but both already have accomplishment-riddled resumes that are tied at the hip.

Both Elliott and Kamara are three-time Pro Bowlers, they’re both skilled runners and pass-catchers, they’re both members of the NFL All-Rookie team from the years they entered the league and they’re both highly skilled running backs on powerful NFC offenses, although neither player is the centerpiece of their team.

The Saints offense boasts a Hall-of-Fame quarterback in waiting with Drew Brees, as well as a record-breaking receiver in Michael Thomas. The Cowboys, while not having a single receiver as talented as Thomas, boast an elite cast of pass-catchers from Amari Cooper to Michael Gallup to the rookie CeeDee Lamb that cast some of the spotlight away from the All-Pro running back Elliott.

But team talent be damned, both Kamara and Elliott have found a way to put up numbers just about every year they have been in the league. With track records on their side, there’s no reason to think that they both won’t do it again in 2020. But that begs the question, which one of these star running backs will be the better star running back next season?

Kamara got the upper hand on Zeke in 2017 with more total touchdowns and scrimmage yards and while Elliott flipped the script on the Saints running back in 2019, 2018 is a bit more of a wash. Elliott put up more scrimmage yards, but Kamara had the advantage when it came to finding the endzone. 

The score is tied between these two NFC running backs, and 2020 could temporarily be a deciding season in which of the two players is better. So, who will have the better season?

There’s a case to be made for both players, but only one can come out victorious.