Jacksonville Jaguars defensive lineman Folorunso Fatukasi has been out of action since suffering a quad injury in Week 4 against the Philadelphia Eagles, but Jaguars coach Doug Pederson sounded optimistic about getting him back soon.
“We’ll get him back in practice and hopefully he’s capable and he’s — obviously, he’s day-to-day still — but we’re hoping he makes it to Sunday,” Pederson told reporters Wednesday.
The Jaguars’ run defense struggled without Fatukasi against the Eagles and Houston Texans, allowing 326 rushing yards over the pair of losses. While Jacksonville held the Indianapolis Colts to only 45 rushing yards, the team was without its top two running backs and opted to pass 58 times.
On Sunday, the Jaguars will face the New York Giants who lean heavily on their star running back.
“We need all hands on deck with Saquon [Barkley],” Pederson said of the Giants running back. “I watched this guy for many years run all over of us. He’s one of those backs where he’ll get two, he’ll get three, he’ll get one, maybe a lost yardage play, and then bang, he’ll hit you for 50. That’s just the type of back he is, he’s an explosive running back.”
Through six weeks, Barkley leads the NFL in rushing attempts and he’s only 33 yards behind Nick Chubb for the league lead. Barkley also has 155 receiving yards. The Giants improved to 5-1 last week with a come-from-behind win over the Baltimore Ravens.