Passing Matchups

Week 21 Rushing Matchups

by Mark Wimer and Joe Bryant, Exclusive to Footballguys.com

[NE] [NYG]

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.

New England Patriots Rushing Offense vs New York Giants Rushing Defense (Neutral Matchup)

Laurence Maroney started post-season play with a bang against Jacksonville in the divisional round, gaining 22/122/1 rushing (a 5.5 yards per carry average) and adding 2/40/0 receiving, with a long catch-and-run of 33 yards to his credit during the game. Maroney continued his strong efforts with 25/122/1 rushing (a 4.9 yards-per-carry average) and 1/9/0 receiving vs. the Chargers during the AFC Championship game. As we noted before the divisional round, Maroney seems to be peaking at the perfect time - during the playoffs. As usual, Kevin Faulk added a valuable presence catching the ball out of the back field vs. San Diego (he led the team with 8/82/0 receiving) while also gaining 1/8/0 rushing the football. As a team, the Patriots piled up 31/149/1 rushing vs. San Diego.

The last time these teams faced off in the 2007 season finale, Maroney struggled to find much running room (19/46/2) but punched in two crucial TDs. Meanwhile, Faulk backpedaled to 2/-2/0 rushing - however, he contributed 8/64/0 as a receiver vs. the Giants. Coming into this NFL Championship game, Maroney has been delivering a lot more per carry than he did closing out the regular season.

The Giants ended the regular season ranked 8th in the NFL vs. opposing rushers, averaging 97.7 yards allowed per game, with 12 rushing TDs given up over 16 games. They held Tampa Bay to 69 yards rushing during the wild card round of the playoffs, while only giving up 14 total points, and followed up by handing over 33/154/1 to the Cowboys' Marion Barber and company (most of the yards were allowed in the first half - the Giants clamped down on Barber and company in a big way during the second half of the game). Green Bay could only scrape up 14/28/0 rushing during the NFC Championship game, one week after whacking Seattle for 35/235/3 rushing. During the final 3 weeks of the regular season, the Giants surrendered a low of 44 yards rushing to the Patriots in week 17 (but gave up 2 TDs as noted above). Over their last 4 contests, the Giants have averaged 73.7 rushing yards allowed per game, but have handed over 4 rushing scores in those games.

Maroney has been going strong in the playoffs, but so has the Giants' defense. Facing off in the neutral venue at University of Phoenix Stadium, we think this looks like a fairly even matchup between two units that are playing at the top of their collective abilities right now.

Weather: The weather forecast for University of Phoenix Stadium calls for a high of 64F and a low of 40F with a 30% chance for rain on Sunday. If the weather turns stormy close to game time, the retractable roof will be closed - weather shouldn't be an issue during this Super Bowl matchup.

The official NFL injury report with Probable, Questionable, Doubtful and Out designations will be available by Saturday. Please refer to the week 21 injury report for the latest injury news regarding your players.

New York Giants Rushing Offense at New England Patriots Rushing Defense (Tough Matchup)

During the playoffs, Brandon Jacobs has found pay dirt in each contest (he scored twice vs. the Buccaneers) - during the NFC Championship game vs. Green Bay, he ground out 21/67/1 rushing and 1/8/0 receiving in the arctic weather at Lambeau Field. Jacobs posted 111 total yards vs. the Patriots back in week 17, with 15/67/0 rushing and 5/44/1 receiving to his credit. His side-kick during the playoffs, Ahmad Bradshaw, missed the week 17 tilt vs. New England, but has been a steady presence during the playoffs - he scored his first TD in the post-season last week, with 16/63/1 rushing and 1/9/0 receiving - the combination of Jacobs and Bradshaw has been a powerful 1-2 punch throughout the Giants' playoff run. With a bye week of rest under their belts, this duo should be ready to rock against the Patriots - Jacobs stated simply "We know we are going to have to run the ball in this game.". However, when asked for a reaction to Plaxico Burress' guarantee of a Giants' victory, he responded with more fire "We damn sure didn't fly all this way from New York to just hand them a football game."

New England shut down the Jaguars' duo of Fred Taylor (13/47/0 rushing) and Maurice Jones-Drew (6/19/0 rushing, with 6/49/0 receiving) during the divisional round of the playoffs, holding Jacksonville to 22/80/0 on the ground. They followed up by keeping the Chargers' stable of backs out of the end zone, while limiting them to 22/104/0 (Michael Turner was the featured back most of the game and could only grind out 17/65/0 - Darren Sproles boosted the yards-per-carry average with 3/34/0 mostly due to a long run of 26 yards). During regular season, New England allowed only 7 TDs rushing, and they have held the line in that department through both playoff games (the Pats were 10th in the NFL averaging 98.3 yards rushing allowed per game during regular season). The Giants did not manage to punch in a TD on the ground in the high-scoring week 17 showdown, gaining 19/79/0 vs. the Patriots as a team. When facing New England, it is very difficult to put the ball in the end zone by rushing the ball.

The Giants' stable of backs has been very productive throughout the playoffs, but they'll face a tough challenge lining up across from the solid Patriots' defensive front - especially in the red zone.