Top 5 Rushing Matchups
Minnesota at New Orleans
Aaron Jones Sr. has had Minnesota's backfield to himself since Jordan Mason landed on IR before Week 2, and his workload keeps growing. He ran 20 times for 94 yards and caught four of eight targets for 34 yards in Sunday's 15-10 win over Miami, while Demond Claiborne got just three carries. That followed 23 carries for 105 yards in Week 2 and 22 touches against Tampa Bay in Week 3, when he handled 81% of the running back carries and every running back target. It's a remarkable turnaround for a 31-year-old who was set to be released this offseason before restructuring his contract, coming off a 2025 season in which he ran for just 548 yards and missed five games. The offensive line for Minnesota remains a work in progress, as they lost 2025 first-round pick Donovan Jackson at left guard who was placed on IR, and both tackles are questionable this week with Christian Darrisaw at left tackle being the one to worry about as he did not practice on Wednesday with a concussion.
New Orleans entered Week 4 with the 27th-ranked run defense in the league, and Monday night made it look worse. Atlanta ran for 207 yards in a 45-24 rout, with Bijan Robinson going 19 carries for 145 yards and two touchdowns, starting with a 59-yard score on the Falcons' third play, while Brian Robinson Jr Jr. added 62 yards and three short touchdowns on 14 carries. The two backs averaged 3.7 yards before contact and broke 11 tackles, which points to problems both at the line of scrimmage and in pursuit. The schedule hasn't done New Orleans any favors, as it opened against Jahmyr Gibbs, Derrick Henry and Ashton Jeanty before seeing Robinson, but the Saints did hold Henry to 68 yards on 16 carries in their Week 2 win, so this group has shown it can play disciplined, physical run defense when everything is working. Defensive coordinator Brandon Staley needs linebackers Pete Werner and Danny Stutsman to fill downhill quickly, because the interior of the defensive line hasn't held up at the point of attack.