The slate of RBs who face awful rush defenses is a long one - Houston Texan Steve Slaton, Carolina Panthers D'Angelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, San Francisco 49er Frank Gore, Matt Forte of the Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcon Michael Turner, Green Bay Packer Ryan Grant, Indianapolis Colt Joseph Addai, whoever starts for the New England Patriots and the Dallas Cowboy's Marion Barber III. This is not the week for your team to be weak because of byes.
One question that will be answered this weekend is whether Falcons' RB Michael Turner can't run against good defenses or can only run effectively at home. His two horrible games were on the road and against good defenses. My guess is it is the good run defenses that cause him problems.
The Falcons/Packers game also offers RB Ryan Grant the chance to have a good game as the Falcons can't stop the run. if he can't run well in this game, then it is time to grab his back-ups and expect a demotion.
The Ten Worst Rush Defenses:
| Rank | Team | RYA | Vs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | Indianapolis | 208 | @HOU |
| 31 | Kansas City | 193.3 | @CAR |
| 30 | St. Louis | 185.3 | BYE |
| 29 | New England | 160 | @SF |
| 28 | Detroit | 152.5 | CHI |
| 27 | Atlanta | 151.7 | @GB |
| 26 | Green Bay | 148 | ATL |
| 25 | Houston | 146.5 | IND |
| 24 | Cincinnati | 142.7 | @DAL |
| 23 | San Francisco | 129.7 | NE |