One of the more interesting storylines heading into Super Bowl LIII is the emergence of the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams running backs during the playoffs.
For Los Angeles, Todd Gurley was their breakout star throughout the regular season, but the recently signed C.J. Anderson has picked up most of the reps recently. It is unclear if Gurley is battling an injury, despite his claims to the contrary, or if the Rams are rolling with a running-back tandem, much like the New Orleans Saints' Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram.
Meanwhile, rookie Sony Michel has emerged as a dynamic rusher for the Patriots and has helped ease the load for veteran James White. Quarterback Tom Brady has been relying more and more on his running backs, especially with receiver Josh Gordon missing the postseason and tight end Rob Gronkowski not producing as much this year.
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Here, with the help of our colleagues at Opta, we break down their performances to this point and what to expect from the showdown in Atlanta next month.
Beyond the numbers
An intriguing aspect is the University of Georgia factor — Michel was Gurley's backup at college, with Gurley being one of the Bulldogs' most memorable players in the past decade and Michel known as half of the "Thunder and Lightning" duo with Browns running back Nick Chubb.
"Were goin to the @SuperBowl!" - @TG3II#NFLPlayoffs #LARams pic.twitter.com/Vd1KBupeFC
— NFL (@NFL) January 20, 2019
Once Gurley was drafted in the first round by the Rams in 2014, Michel had a breakout year for his sophomore season. Like Gurley, Michel was drafted in the first round and, like Gurley, Michel helped establish UGA as 'Running Back U'.
Don't forget about Burkhead
It is worth mentioning Rex Burkhead, who has been used sparingly throughout the season, but is the reason the Patriots are in the Super Bowl. Burkhead played in just eight games in the regular season and had no touchdowns in that time, but scored three touchdowns on 16 carries in the two playoff games.
It was Burkhead's two-yard touchdown run in overtime against the Kansas City Chiefs that sent the Patriots to the Super Bowl for the third year in a row.
Is Gurley okay?
Gurley has been quiet in the postseason and had his worst game to date in the NFC Championship Game. Enter Anderson, who played instead of Gurley as he battled knee inflammation at the end of the season. While the Rams say Gurley is healthy, it has been Anderson who has flourished in the postseason.
Gurley said after the win over the Saints that he simply had a bad game, but it is going to take both running backs being on song if the Rams want to win their second Lombardi Trophy in franchise history.
The emotional drive my brother @TG3II was going through was real. Thank God for this moment pic.twitter.com/gvqPGSWjk0
— Cj Anderson (@cjandersonb22) January 21, 2019