Running game having biggest impact in decades in NFL

By JOSH DUBOW
AP Pro Football Writer

For all the talk of how the NFL has become a passing league, the run game is having a bit of a renaissance in 2022. With defenses keeping two safeties deep and playing with fewer defenders near the line of scrimmage to guard against the big play, and offenses more willing to take advantage of that, running the ball is having its biggest success in decades. Through the first nine weeks of the season, teams are combining for 241.4 yards rushing per game for the highest mark at this point of the season since 1987.