Toby Gerhart & Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings

What's better than having a great running back on your team? Having two!

Last season, 11 clubs boasted two running backs with at least 500 rushing yards apiece, including four playoff teams -- Green Bay, Houston, New Orleans and the New York Giants. Despite the proliferation of the passing game, teams have continued to rely on different options in the backfield to gain an advantage.

"In reality, the looks you can create with multiple running styles and personnel can matter just as much as the varied formations you roll out in the passing game," says ESPN analyst and former NFL quarterback TRENT DILFER.

The AFC South champion Houston Texans would agree. Powered by the dynamic combination of ARIAN FOSTER and BEN TATE, Houston had the second-best rushing attack in the NFL at 153.0 yards per game (Denver, 164.5) on its way to the first division title and postseason appearance in franchise history. Foster finished the season third in the AFC in rushing yards with 1,224 while Tate picked up 942 yards of his own, providing Houston with an impressive duo in the backfield.

"They are very competitive," says Texans head coach GARY KUBIAK of Foster and Tate.

"Those guys running the ball is a strength of what we do. If they keep working that way, it should be again."

Four of the past five Super Bowl champions have boasted a backfield with at least two 500-yard rushers, including the Super Bowl XLVI champion New York Giants. Aided by the combination of AHMAD BRADSHAW (659 yards) and BRANDON JACOBS (571), the Giants won the NFC East title en route to defeating the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.

"I think it's very important to have change-of-pace and complimentary running backs," says Atlanta Falcons head coach MIKE SMITH. "The wear and tear that a running back faces in the National Football League is unbelievable. You need to have guys that can stay fresh and try to penetrate the defensive line."

The NFL teams with two running backs with at least 500 rushing yards each in 2011: