Sanders (237 Yards) Steals Show : NFC: He comes through with best game as a pro to lead the Lions over Buccaneers, 14-9.

Barry Sanders almost defies description.

But Tampa Bay rookie Errict Rhett gave it a try after the Detroit Lions’ 14-9 victory over the Buccaneers Sunday night.

“Not only can I not do the things Barry does, I can’t even describe them,” Rhett said.

Sanders, the NFL’s leading rusher, had his best game as a pro against the Buccaneers, rushing 26 times for a career-high 237 yards--an even 200 in the second half.

It was only the second game of more than 200 yards for Sanders; the other came in 1991 when he ran for 220 against Minnesota.

“God ain’t made a better back in this lifetime,” Lion Coach Wayne Fontes said. “Maybe one will come along someday. But it hasn’t happened yet.”

Sanders has rushed for 100 yards or more eight times against the Buccaneers. In the last five, Sanders had burned the Buccaneers for 122, 130, 187, 166 and 237 yards.

Sanders now leads the NFL with 1,319 yards. This is Sanders’ best 10-game start of his career. His best start prior to this season came in 1993, when he gained 1,052 yards after his first 10 games.

At this rate, he is on pace to gain 2,110 yards.

“I can’t say I never think about it,” Sanders said. “But it’s not part of my game preparation. I don’t want to complicate things any more than they already are. It would be wonderful to reach that mark. But I’m determined not to go into each game focusing on that.”

Sanders needed the big night to keep from being upstaged by Rhett, who rushed 25 times for 112 yards. It was the first time a Tampa Bay runner gained more than 100 since Reggie Cobb ran for 113 against Detroit on Oct. 3, 1993.

It was the fifth consecutive loss for Tampa Bay (2-8).

The Lions, behind the running of Sanders and passing of Dave Krieg, scored two touchdowns in the third quarter, one on a one-yard run by Derrick Moore and the other on a nine-yard pass by Krieg to Herman Moore.

Krieg completed five of 13 passes for 99 yards and one touchdown.

Running Wild

The top single-game rushing performances in NFL history:

Date Player Car Yds TD Nov. 20, 1977 Walter Payton 40 275 1 Nov. 25, 1976 O.J. Simpson 29 273 2 Sept. 16, 1973 O.J. Simpson 29 250 2 Dec. 5, 1971 Willie Ellison 26 247 1 Dec. 8, 1963 Cookie Gilchrist 36 243 5 Nov. 11, 1994 Barry Sanders 26 237 0 Oct. 31, 1993 Emmitt Smith 30 237 1 Nov. 19, 1961 Jim Brown 34 237 4 Nov. 24, 1957 Jim Brown 31 237 4 Sept. 22, 1963 Jim Brown 20 232 2 Nov. 15, 1959 Bobby Mitchell 14 232 3