Top 5 Rushing Matchups
NY Giants vs. New Orleans
The Giants have leaned on a committee backfield all season, with Cam Skattebo working back in as the power element after last year's gruesome ankle injury. Despite having both Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Devin Singletary, neither has taken on a significant role, with both under 10 carries for the season. Meanwhile, Cam Skattebo has been the workhorse for this team despite working back from his ankle injury. Skattebo has just 3.6 yards per carry and hasn't shown much explosiveness, with only one carry over 13 yards, which went for 19. The Giants' offensive line has been a bright spot since they got Andrew Thomas back from his injury last season. Thomas is one of the bright spots for the Giants, but the real surprise has been center Bryan Hudson, who is a 2024 undrafted player. Hudson is playing a critical role in the John Harbaugh offense, which relies heavily on the center, as it did in Baltimore with Tyler Linderbaum.
Those creases should be plentiful. New Orleans ranks 31st in the NFL against the run, having allowed 744 rushing yards through five games, nearly 149 yards per game, at a brutal 4.9 yards per carry. Atlanta's Bijan Robinson torched this group for 145 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 45-24 blowout, the second time in four games an opponent has topped 160 rushing yards against New Orleans. Defensive tackle and safety have been the biggest problems for the Saints, putting incredible pressure on this linebacker unit. Tackles Nathan Shepherd, Vernon Broughton, and Davon Godchaux have been ineffective at stopping the run, while veteran safety Justin Reid is having one of the worst seasons of his career after being a mainstay on elite run-stopping units in Houston and Kansas City.
Philadelphia vs. Carolina
Saquon Barkley's hamstring injury has clouded an otherwise dominant season, but there's optimism he can potentially suit up against Carolina after exiting the Rams loss early, with the issue described as non-contact and not believed to be serious. Averaging 5.1 yards per carry this season, Barkley remains one of the league's most explosive backs when healthy, and the Eagles' power-gap scheme up front hasn't lost much punch, even through a shaky stretch. The track record here matters too. Barkley's vision and patience behind this offensive line have made him a weekly threat to break a long one against any opponent, and defenses that give him even a sliver of daylight tend to pay in chunks rather than yards. If Barkley is anywhere close to full strength, Philadelphia would circle this kind of get-well matchup on the calendar for a team that's slipped to 2-3 and could use its best offensive weapon back at full tilt. If he can't go, Dameon Pierce will likely get the starting nod. The concern is that Philadelphia's offensive line has been a disaster in recent weeks. What started the year as a top-tier unit has fallen to 30th in Matt Bitonti's latest rankings because of Lane Johnson's retirement, Cam Jurgens' trade, and now center Drew Kendall, who looks like he'll miss this game with a knee injury. Making matters worse for the Eagles, Jalen Hurts will miss this game with a blood clot, as announced Thursday. This will put even more pressure on the rushing attack for the Eagles to try to ultimately save what is looking more and more like a lost season.
Carolina's run defense has been a sore spot all year, dating back to a Week 1 shellacking in which Chicago ran for 291 yards. Coach Dave Canales pointed to fits and tackling up front as the root cause, with defenders getting out of position and turning what should be contained runs into open-field track meets. That issue hasn't fully gone away since: the Panthers rank 23rd in the league against the run through four games, having allowed 626 rushing yards at 5.4 yards per carry, and a staff that's otherwise earned credit for building a surprisingly competitive roster has had to spend real time this fall just getting bodies to the right gaps. The Panthers hoped that bringing in linebacker Devin Lloyd from Jacksonville this offseason would solve all their issues. However, despite leading the team in tackles, he hasn't been able to replicate his tremendous 2025 season, when he was one of the game's elite run-stoppers. Along the defensive line, the unit depends heavily on Derrick Brown, who is having a down season compared to the dominant performances we've seen earlier in his career. The bright spot of this defense has been 5th-round rookie Zakee Wheatley, who has 11 solo tackles in three games and looks to be a formidable last line of defense for the Panthers.