The Los Angeles Rams were poor across the board in Week 1, but especially against the run, nearly giving up 200 yards to the 49ers. With New York coming to town, the Giants’ running game will pose one of the tougher challenges to the Rams’ iffy run defense this season.
In the 20-point season-opening loss, LA gave up the fourth-most rushing yards in the NFL at 174, behind the Panthers (291), Broncos (220) and Colts (202). While the defense didn’t give up a 100-yard rusher, they still allowed Niners
running back Christian McCaffrey and Kaelon Black to rush for at least 65 yards.
Things must tighten up quickly, or the Rams risk being run out of their own stadium against an unexpectedly physical Giants attack.
New York rushed for 165 yards against a supposedly improved Dallas defensive front, fifth-most in the league in Week 1. Second-year running back Cam Skattebo led the way with 81 yards on 18 carries. The offense also has plenty of mouths to feed at RB.
Veteran Devin Singletary is closing in on 5,000 career rushing yards through his first seven seasons. Third-year back Tyrone Tracy Jr. is coming off back-to-back 740+ yard campaigns. The trio of Skattebo, Singletary and Tracy combined for 1,587 yards last season. That is remarkable production at its finest, and is exactly why the team finished fifth in rushing a year ago.
How effective was their ground attack? NY currently has the lowest rate of runs stuffed in the NFL. The Giants violently barrel down people like they’re owed lunch money, which bodes well for the run game, proving so far that it ‘25 was no fluke, even with a different coaching staff. What’s crazier is that the unit could actually improve as the season progresses.
A powerful run game defines a John Harbaugh offense, dating back to his Ravens tenure. From 2008 to 2025, Baltimore averaged an NFL-leading 139.8 rushing yards per game, which was 10 yards more than the second-best team, according to the Giants team website. Additionally, the Ravens led the NFL in rushing yards five times in their last seven seasons, including 2019, 2020, 2023, 2024 and 2025.
So, the G-Men will be running the ball plenty on Monday night. Now the question becomes whether the Rams can stop it when they know it’s coming.
Run defense woes reared their ugly head in Week 1
The Rams had seemingly made strides against the run in 2025, but experienced lapses towards the end of the season.
Los Angeles gave up eight 100-yard rushing games last season, which, overall, isn’t bad. However, five of those games came after the team’s bye, including the Falcons piling up a staggering 219 yards in Week 17.
During LA’s 17-3 win over Harbaugh’s Ravens in October 2025, Baltimore racked up 179 yards on the ground, the second-most the Rams had given up after the Atlanta game. That total came without two-time MVP Lamar Jackson out of the lineup due to injury. Had Jackson played, the Ravens could’ve easily gone over 200 rushing yards.
The bleeding didn’t exactly stop in the playoffs, even if LA had allowed one opponent to amass well over 100 team rushing yards (Bears, 160). In total, the Rams gave up 318 rushing yards and four touchdowns in three games.
Between the regular season and playoffs, the team gave up 100-yard games in nearly half of its 20 games played. Two-thirds of that came after their bye alone. Clearly, the Rams have adjustments to make in their run defense, as they reverted to the inconsistent play that plagued them in the back half of last season.
Knowing full well what Harbaugh and the Giants intend to do this week, LA must be better prepared than it was against the Niners, given that New York poses one of the tougher challenges to the Rams on the ground this season.
