Week 21 Rushing Matchups

PLEASE NOTE: This does NOT replace the Cheatsheet ranking. The Cheatsheet rankings are the final say on where we see a player for that week. The Matchup Breakdowns are simply one more tool in the box when it comes to helping choose your lineup.

Also note, just because a player has a "bad" matchup, it does NOT mean he's not a starter in your league. If Peyton Manning is playing the toughest pass defense in the league, that just means he's got a tough matchup that week. He's also your starter unless you're loaded at QB. In the same way, if the worst QB on your roster has a "great" matchup that week, it doesn't necessarily mean he's your starter. It means we think he'll fare better than normal that week.

Bottom line is that the cheatsheets are the final say.

Chicago Bears Rushing Offense vs Indianapolis Colts Rushing Defense (Tough Matchup)

The Bears' backs mauled the Saints during the conference championships, with 46/196/3 as a team. They were led by Thomas Jones (19/123/2 rushing), and also saw Cedric Benson plow up the middle of a sloppy field for 24/60/1. Jones has scored 2 TDs in each playoff game (he posted 21/66/2 rushing and 2/6/0 receiving vs. Seattle), while Benson has returned to his second-fiddle role (Benson had 12/45/0 vs. Seattle). It appears that the Bears' tactic of lessening Jones' workload during the final 1/4 of regular season in order to save him for the playoffs worked very well - he looked fresh and ran wild against the Saints 2 weekends ago. Jones' and Benson's legs power the Bears' offense, regardless of how Grossman and the receivers are playing during any particular contest.

Up until the conference championships, the Colts' rush D was much improved. They shaved almost 2 yards a carry off of their yards-allowed average during the first two playoff games (5.3 during regular season; 3.4 per carry during the first two post season games) and the Colts only allowed 3 third down conversions through the first two games that they played during January. Kansas City's Larry Johnson could only manage 13/32/0 (17/44/0 for the team); Baltimore's stable posted 20/83/0. During the first half of the game vs. New England, the Colts slipped in this phase of the game, allowing a 7-yard TD run to Corey Dillon and several long runs to New England. Dillon posted a 35-yard scamper during the first quarter in addition to the second-quarter TD, Kevin Faulk had 2 8-yard gainers in the first quarter, and Laurence Maroney had carries go for 9 yards and 8 yards during the first half. In short, the Colts looked like their old, vulnerable selves (Indy averaged 173 rushing yards allowed per game during regular season) instead of the rejuvenated unit we saw earlier in the playoffs. However, Indianapolis stopped the bleeding during the second half, and ended the day surrendering 24/93/1 (a 3.9 yards-per-carry average), keeping their opponents under 100 yards rushing for the 3rd straight game. For most of the playoffs, the Colts' rush D has been solid, though they gave their fans a scare during the conference championships.

Chicago's backs form the backbone of their offense, but Jones and Benson won't find it easy to move the ball against the resurgent Colts. If the Colts can keep their recent form (and we think they can) this is a slightly tough matchup for the Bears' tandem.

Weather: The forecast for Dolphin Stadium calls for a high of 78F with a low of 66F and a 20% chance for rain on Sunday. If the rain stays away, it should be a great evening to play for the NFL championship - weather shouldn't be a major factor in this game.

The official NFL injury report will not be available until after our deadline to post the week 21 matchups. Please refer to the week 21 injury report for the latest injury news regarding your players.

Indianapolis Colts Rushing Offense at Chicago Bears Rushing Defense (Tough Matchup)

Indianapolis has averaged 137.7 rushing yards per game during the postseason, with both Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes contributing as game situations dictate - the team averaged 110.1 rushing yards per game during regular season. As Peyton Manning has struggled at points during the playoffs, the Colts have been able to turn to their RB stable and it shows in the increased production. Rhodes led the team in rushing during the conference championship game, racking up 14/69/0 rushing and 4/38/0 receiving. His counterpart Joseph Addai managed 14/56/1 (the TD was the crucial final score that put Indy over the top vs. New England) and 2/4/0 receiving. During the 3 playoff games, Rhodes has totaled 41/193/0 rushing (he's handled 13, 14 and 14 rushes during the games, respectively) and 6/62/0 receiving; over the same span Addai has 67/217/2 rushing (25, 18, and 14 carries in the 3 contests) and 12/52/0 receiving. Rhodes, Addai and the Colts' OL are getting the job done when it counts.

The Bears did not shut down the Saints' tandem of Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister during the conference championships - they averaged 4.7 yards per carry - but the Saints were playing from behind all day, and only attempted 12 rushes during the game (12/56/0). Deuce McAllister managed 6/18/0 and Reggie Bush posted 4/19/0 on the ground. This followed a lack-luster performance vs. Shaun Alexander and the Seahawks, when Chicago gave up 31/127/2, after closing regular season with 34/97/0 allowed to the Packers during week 17. Overall, the Bears were the 6th best rush D during regular season, averaging 99.4 yards allowed per game (only 7 rushing TDs over 16 games were given up). They are generally tough to score on, but Seattle gave the Bears all they could handle during the divisional round, while the Saints weren't in a position to test the defensive front at the goal line.

Indianapolis has turned up their rushing attack a notch during the playoffs, but the hard-nosed Bears won't smooth Addai's and Rhodes' path to the end-zone. This will be a tough matchup for the Indianapolis backs.

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