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Top 5 Rushing Matchups
Chicago vs Houston
Chicago gets a much-improved matchup this week after facing somewhat difficult matchups over the first two weeks, including a monsoon-like condition in Week 1 that we largely have to throw out due to the poor drainage conditions at Soldier Field. Chicago was dominated by Green Bay on Sunday night and, to date, has run only 97 plays to the 133 runs by their opponents. This is still an offense designed to run the football with Justin Fields and David Montgomery leading the way. Fields has yet to really get going, as he has just 48 yards rushing over his first two weeks, while Montgomery looked great last week against Green Bay with 122 rushing yards on just 15 carries. This is an offensive line that, while still not great, is starting to come together. It appears they may have solidified their offensive line after rotating their right guards through their first two games, it does appear that they will move Lucas Patrick back over to center, keeping 2021 second-round Teven Jenkins at the right guard position.
Houston’s run defense has been one that has continued to be a weakness even as the team has been much more competitive in the 2022 season. Last week, Houston surrendered 149 yards on 31 carries against the Broncos. The big issue continues to be the linebacker play, as they are relying far too heavily on the safety Jonathan Owens to stop the run as he is the leading tackler on this team. The linebacker issues are compounded as Kevin Pierre-Lewis suffered a groin injury last week and was one of their better run-stoppers in 2021. Cornerback Derek Stingley left with an unspecified injury, so his status is always a watch in Week 2, considering he has been a good run defender thus far. The team has led the league in missed tackles (27) through two weeks.
Houston at Chicago
Houston had one of the more abrupt turnarounds in their backfield pecking order this season. Rex Burkhead started Week 1, only for that to flip in Week 2 with Dameon Pierce having 62% of the snaps and 15 carries for 69 yards. This will likely be a committee situation, but the team invested in Pierce and wants to see what he can do going forward. Burkhead remains the better receiving and third-down option, so he will still be in the mix, but for now, Pierce is the guy to keep an eye on in Houston.
The Bears have struggled against the run giving up 189.5 rushing yards per game, the most in the league through two weeks. This includes last week, where they surrendered 203 yards on the ground, including 132 yards to Aaron Jones and 61 yards to A.J. Dillon on 38 Green Bay carries. The Bears gave up the ninth-most rushing yards in the league in 2021 (125.1 per game). Defensive Lineman Angelo Blackson has struggled, while linebacker Roquan Smith’s play has seemingly been impacted by the offseason trade demands and frustration of not obtaining a new contract. Smith has been one of the worst tacklers, missing 13% of his tackles so far, and is the highest of his career, while he has been one of the worst run-stoppers in football.
Las Vegas at Tennessee
Vegas is undergoing a change in the offensive line combination under new head coach Josh McDaniels, leading to a lack of cohesion thus far this season. The offense has been 30th in rushing yards through two weeks averaging just 72 yards per game on the ground. Josh Jacobs has been effective when he’s gotten the ball as he’s averaging 4.3 yards-per-carry, but he’s only averaging 14.5 carries per game. The combination of Brandon Bolden and Zamir White has four total carries on the season. The Raiders rank 31st in rushing attempts on the year, which will need to become more balanced if the Raiders are going to compete this season. One thing to monitor this week is the health of center Andre James, who missed Week 2 after suffering a concussion. It will impact their offensive line considerably if he is out this week.
After being one of the best run-stopping units in football in 2021 (second-fewest yards-per-game), the Titans have completely fallen off a cliff to start the 2022 season. Tennessee has allowed the second-most rushing yards in the league through two weeks (169.5 per game), including a 238-yard performance by the Giants in Week 1. While Jeffrey Simmons continues to be one of the top defensive linemen in football, the rest of the unit has really taken a significant step backward in their ability to stop the run. Linebacker Zach Cunningham, Safety Amani Hooker, Edge Bud Dupree, and Safety Kevin Byard have all struggled as run defenders compared to last season.
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