CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- If Jonathan Stewart runs for 92 yards Sunday against New Orleans, he and DeAngelo Williams would become the first pair of teammates in NFL history to both have 1,100-yard rushing seasons.
Williams wasn't aware of that possibility until Thursday.
"That's pretty good. That's a big deal, now," said Williams. "I think the O-line shoulders a lot of that on their backs because they do a great job (blocking), including Brad (Hoover, the fullback).
"Teams know week in and week out we're going to run the football, and they put as many guys as they possibly can in there and we still continue to have success on the ground running the ball. I think that's a credit to just the coaching staff and the line in general."
Already, Williams (1,117 yards) and Stewart (1,008) have become the sixth pair of teammates to reach 1,000 yards rushing in a season.
Of the previous five tandems, none rushed for more than 1,039 yards each.
However, there's some uncertainty whether either Williams or Stewart will play in Sunday's regular-season finale against New Orleans.
Neither practiced Wednesday or Thursday. Williams is trying to recover from an ankle injury that has caused him to miss the past seven quarters, while Stewart has a sore Achilles that has nagged him all season.
Stewart routinely misses Wednesday practices but usually returns to work on Thursday. He might have been given extra rest after a heavy workload (28 carries for a franchise record 206 yards) in Williams' absence Sunday against the Giants.
Coach John Fox wouldn't say whether Stewart would practice today.
Williams said he tested his ankle Thursday and it felt "pretty good."
"I'm still shooting for Sunday," said Williams. "It's not that I'll be out Sunday. That decision's not made today, so hopefully I'll be out there. ... I'm striving for Sunday."
Williams missed 11 quarters of playing time in December with ankle injuries and hasn't played since near the end of the first period of a 26-7 win against Minnesota on Dec. 20.
"It's been tough," he said. "I'm a competitor, just like everybody else. I want to be a part of our wins or our losses or our draws. Just standing on the sidelines, it just pains me."
Williams has a close relationship with Stewart and said he has enjoyed watching his friend flourish, calling Stewart's play of late "amazing." Plus, it's possible Stewart would've missed hitting 1,000 yards had it not been for Williams' injury.
"One of our coaches said it best: We've got two pieces of gold in the backfield, (so) we just roll," said Williams. "There are a lot of football teams in the National Football League that would love to have the luxury that we have.
"When one of us goes down, the other one steps in and we don't miss a beat, or (the advantage of) having two guys and putting that much pressure on defenses play in and play out, and (them) not knowing what to expect, keeping them on their heels."
Despite being sidelined, Williams had a big week. He was named to the Pro Bowl for the first time Tuesday as a reserve for the NFC team, joining Minnesota's Adrian Peterson and St. Louis' Steven Jackson as the lone running backs on the roster.
Williams said he was playing video games early Tuesday evening when his agent called to give him the good news.
As much as the Pro Bowl selection means to him, Williams said he values even more that he and Stewart eclipsed 1,000 yards "because that's something we did as a team."
Now, health permitting, they'll take aim at doing something no other backfield combination has done.
Williams said he's not sure he understands the magnitude of the achievements he and Stewart are accomplishing.
"To me, it's like we go out there, we work, we have fun; we're just big kids playing a sport," he said. "Then when you make history like this, it's like, 'Ok, it's great.'
"But I guess when I get older and can't do it, it'll probably dawn on me, 'Hey, we're a part of history."'
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