Who Should I Start? Saquon Barkley or Jaleel McLaughlin

Friday, January 24, 10:16 PM

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley enters Sunday's NFC Championship matchup against the Washington Commanders with a history of dominance. In 11 career games against Washington, Barkley has averaged 137.5 scrimmage yards per game, the most by any player against any opponent in the Super Bowl Era (min. 10 games). This season, he torched the Commanders in two matchups, totaling 296 rushing yards, 63 receiving yards, and four touchdowns. The Commanders' defense has struggled mightily against the run, ranking 30th in rushing yards allowed per game (137.5) during the regular season. They've also given up 5.4 yards per carry and three rushing touchdowns in the playoffs. With Barkley logging 20+ touches in nine of his last ten games, expect the Eagles to lean heavily on their star running back once again.

Monday, January 13, 10:50 AM

Denver Broncos running back Jaleel McLaughlin was a complete non-factor in the team's 31-7 blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday on wild-card weekend. Like most of the season, Denver's backfield was stuck in the mud and couldn't get anything going to control the game, with rookie quarterback Bo Nix leading the team with 43 rushing yards on four carries. McLaughlin, who had been the leader of a committee backfield late in the season, had only two rushing attempts for minus-two yards while catching his only target for no gain. It was a dismal end to the 24-year-old's second season in the NFL. He finished with 113 carries for 496 yards (4.4 yards per carry) and only one rushing touchdown in 16 regular-season games while adding 24 catches for 76 yards and two more TDs through the air. Denver will surely look to upgrade their backfield in the offseason to give more help to Nix in 2025.