The running back’s impact doesn’t always show up where the box score starts. Sometimes it’s the carry that gets blown up at the line.
Sometimes it’s the one that slips through after three failed tries. And in Week 10, a few backs are set up for those swings in very different ways.
Baltimore’s offense has been stuck in a rut, and that could leave Derrick Henry without the late-game volume he usually leans on. Kansas City, meanwhile, can keep its run game alive by turning to easy throws for Kenneth Walker III. And Carolina has a path to keep pounding the middle against a Saints front that just got lighter.
Derrick Henry finishes with fewer than 35 rushing yards against the Chargers
The Chargers don’t need to dominate Derrick Henry snap after snap to keep him down. If they can erase the early runs, force Baltimore into third-and-long and get off the field, they can keep Henry from piling up the kind of workload that usually rescues his final stat line.
Baltimore has scored 33 points over its last three games, and Henry has finished with 45, 53 and 57 rushing yards in those losses. He still got 17 carries twice in that stretch, which is exactly why Los Angeles has to stop the next wave of handoffs before they start turning into something bigger.
Jacoby Brissett is expected to make his Ravens debut with Lamar Jackson on injured reserve, and that changes the math. Without Jackson’s keeper threat, the Chargers can tighten the space around Henry until Brissett forces them to loosen up.
Baltimore can still hurt them with one clean crease, especially since Los Angeles has been vulnerable to explosive runs. But the Chargers’ best path is simple: make the Ravens throw before Henry gets enough chances to find a rhythm.
Even a small second-half lead could be enough if Baltimore keeps punting.
Kenneth Walker III catches 8 passes against the Falcons
Kansas City doesn’t have to hand Kenneth Walker III the ball over and over to make him matter. A short pass can do the job just as well, and it keeps him away from the traffic in the middle of the defense. If the Chiefs show run, pull the linebackers forward and then flip Walker an easy catch, they can create the same stress without asking him to take every hit between the tackles.
Through Atlanta’s first eight games, opposing backfields averaged 7.6 targets per game, which is nearly two more than the league average. That gives Kansas City a pretty clear lane to work with. Screens, quick throws and early touches can all help push Walker into the kind of volume that matters.
He’s caught exactly four passes in three straight games, but the better sign is the six-catch game he had against the Colts, when Patrick Mahomes targeted him 10 times. That’s the kind of usage Kansas City needs to find again.
Emmett Johnson matched Walker in targets in Denver, then didn’t get one against the Jets while Walker ran 14 routes to Johnson’s eight. Johnson can still stay in the mix.
The Chiefs just need to build a few more easy throws for Walker early and let the rest follow.
Chuba Hubbard rushes for 175 yards against the Saints
New Orleans made a notable move Monday by trading Davon Godchaux, sending away a 330-pound defensive lineman who started five games this season. That opens up a spot Carolina can attack, especially with its own offensive line already needing help.
Against Denver, Torricelli Simpkins III played every snap in place of Damien Lewis, and the Panthers leaned on tight ends to bolster the blocking. If that support stays in place, Hubbard can keep pressing the interior and then cut back once the linebackers commit. A few runs that reach the second level could change the whole afternoon.
Hubbard was on the field for 89 percent of Carolina’s snaps against Denver. He has already had a 28-carry game this season, and his career high is 153 yards. Even if Jonathon Brooks returns, Carolina has every reason to keep feeding Hubbard in a close divisional game.
The Saints held Cleveland to 95 team rushing yards last week, so Hubbard still has to create the first opening. But if Carolina keeps giving him chances late, he has the kind of workload that can turn a handful of good runs into the biggest game of his career.
In Other News...
Chargers Believe Broncos Tried To Pull Off A Trade Trick
The Chargers are taking a closer look at the strange collapse of a reported deal that would have sent linebacker Daiyan Henley to Denver. The Broncos had agreed to acquire Henley from Los Angeles, only to later back out and cite a failed physical tied to arthritis in his knee, a turn that left the Chargers with questions about what really happened behind the scenes.
Jim Harbaugh has asked the NFL to investigate whether Denver used the physical as a pretext to reopen negotiations on the compensation package. The situation has also revived attention on Sean Paytons controversial past, but there is still no confirmation of any wrongdoing, leaving the Chargers to wait for answers on a trade that never made it across the finish line. [Read more 🡒]
Justin Herbert Just Gave The Chargers A Real Shot Monday Night
Justin Herberts week opened with a welcome sign for the Chargers, as he was absent from the teams first injury report and is expected to be ready for Monday nights matchup with Baltimore. Herbert banged up a finger on his left hand in the previous game, but X-rays came back negative for a fracture, easing the immediate concern around the quarterback who drives everything Los Angeles wants to do on offense.
Jim Harbaugh has already indicated Herbert should be available, and the extra day before kickoff only helps the Chargers chances of getting him fully settled by game time. For a team trying to keep pace in a tough matchup, having Herbert trending toward the start is the kind of development that changes the whole tone of the week, even if there is still some healing left to manage. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Have A Chance To Add A Speed Threat With Real Risk
Hollywood Brown is back on the market after his release from the Philadelphia Eagles, and that naturally puts a player with his kind of speed into the orbit of receiver-needy teams. For the Chargers, it is the sort of name that makes sense on paper: a downfield threat who could add another layer to an offense that could use more explosiveness on the outside.
Brown also comes with the kind of questions that make any move here far from straightforward. Health, contract terms and the Chargers own roster priorities all matter, and there has been no confirmation the team is actually pursuing him. For now, it is just a possibility worth watching, with the upside obvious and the risk just as real. [Read more 🡒]