Rushing Matchups Wildcard Round

Photo: USA Today Sports

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Top 3 Rushing Matchups

San Francisco vs Seattle

San Francisco’s offense has been a unit that has turned into one of the best offenses in the NFL, as they have scored 33 points or more in five of their last six games and have now won 10 games in a row and are 10-1 since Christian McCaffrey was added to the team. A big reason for this has been the acquisition of Christian McCaffrey, who has topped 100 yards in three of their last five games. Last week, we saw Elijah Mitchell return from a knee injury, and Mitchell was explosive as while he had just five carries, he was able to run for 55 yards while scoring 2 touchdowns. This is an offensive line that does have its holes up the middle, particularly with rookie Spencer Burford, but has excelled at the tackle positions with Trent Williams and Mike McGlinchey. Expect the 49ers to continue to bring a run-first attack with both McCaffrey and Mitchell this week to make it easier on Brock Purdy. In these two teams’ last meeting, McCaffrey ran the ball 26 times for 108 yards and a touchdown.

Seattle’s run defense is a unit that has struggled for most of the season. On the year, the Seahawks are allowing 115 rushing yards per game to opposing running backs which is the sixth-worst in the NFL this season. This is a unit that has been up and down throughout the season but has allowed 100-yard games to eight different running backs on the year. This is a defense that has some very good players, such as Shelby Harris and Ryan Neal, who missed the last three weeks but should return this week with a knee injury. The issue is that there are significant holes throughout the rest of the defense. At linebacker, Tanner Muse has struggled with consistency in filling in for the injured Jordyn Brooks, while along the defensive line, Quenton Jefferson has struggled. While he has largely been relegated to only passing downs, he may be forced into more action this week as Shelby Harris is questionable with a knee injury and has not practiced so far this week. Look for the 49ers to test this rushing attack once again this week. They should be in a strong position to have success this week.

Jacksonville vs LA Chargers

Travis Etienne has had a bit of a roller coaster of what effectively is his rookie season as the 2021 draft pick missed the entire 2021 season with a foot injury. Over his last seven games, Etienne has topped 80 yards in three of those games, but in the other four, he has averaged just 37 yards rushing. A large part of the inconsistency has to do with Doug Pederson’s offense which has shown that it is adaptable based on the matchup as Etienne averaged 17 carries per game in the games that he had 80 yards or more, while just 12 in the games where he averaged 37 yards rushing. This is an offensive line that has had issues this season of being overmatched against elite defensive lines as Footballguys Offensive Line Expect Matt Bitonti has Jacksonville as the 26th offensive line this season.

The Chargers have been a mainstay in the top rushing matchups all season. This year, the Chargers are allowing 127 rushing yards per game to opposing running backs which is the second-most in the NFL this season. The second half of the season has only gotten worse over their last eight games, as they’ve allowed six running backs to top 100 yards rushing, with Zack Moss and Raheem Mostert being the only two running backs who failed to top that mark. The issue for the Chargers continues to be up the middle as their interior defensive lineman and linebackers are some of the worst in the NFL as Breiden Fehoko, Sebastian Joseph-Day, and linebacker Kenneth Murray have all been a liability this season. This will likely be the key for the Chargers, as if they can shut down the rushing attack of the Jaguars, they’re going to have success this week.

Minnesota vs NY Giants

The Vikings suffered a scare in Week 18, as Dalvin Cook went down with a knee injury, but thankfully was able to return to the game after stating that he was “cleated” and that bleeding was the main issue. Cook should be well-rested heading into this playoff matchup as he has just 20 carries over the last two games. This low use has been a combination of the injury as well as blowouts on both sides, with the Vikings easily winning in Week 18 while being blown out in Week 17. While Cook’s overall numbers look good in 2022, as he ran for 1,173 yards, some might be disappointed in the volume in the Kevin O’Connell offense compared to the Mike Zimmer offense, as Cook averaged 20.8 carries over the last two seasons while averaging just 15.5 this season as the team has moved towards a more pass-heavy approach. Cook has topped 20 carries just once this season, so while he is still an incredibly effective player averaging 4.4 yards-per-carry, we just need to re-establish his baseline that he’s not going to be the workhorse back he’s been the last few seasons. The one worry for the Vikings here is that they suffered a critical injury as right tackle Brian O’Neill was placed on IR with a calf injury and will be replaced by Oli Udoh, who has not shown any issues so far but replacing a critical piece to your offensive line this late in the season is never ideal.

The Giants are a team that if you can have success in the trenches, you’re going to have a big day running the ball. On the season, the Giants are allowing 119 yards rushing per game to opposing running backs which is the fourth highest in the NFL this season. This is a defense that is anchored by elite space-eating defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, complimented by Leonard Williams, making up one of the better duos in the NFL on the defensive line. However, where the defense starts to fall apart is at the linebacker position as Jaylon Smith and Micah McFadden, both were mid-season replacements who have struggled against the run on the year, and at the safety position, Xavier McKinney has also been a weak point for this Giants defense against the run. Where the Giants lack is that truly elite tackler, as safety Julian Love is the only Giants player in the top 75 of tackles in the NFL.