Though Todd Gurley and C.J. Anderson ran all over the Cowboys in the divisional round, Saints fans could be forgiven for hoping their team's No. 2 run defense would find a way to slow down the Rams' rushing attack on Sunday. However, former first-round pick Sheldon Rankins tore his Achilles in their win against the Eagles on Sunday, according to The Advocate, dealing the Saints a big blow to their defense. He'll obviously miss the end of the Saints' season.

Rankins has enjoyed a breakout season in his third year, picking up a career-high 26 tackles and eight sacks. He was carted off the field in the first half of the game. Rankins' teammate Alex Okafor suffered the same injury last year, so he knew what had happened almost instantly.

"When he went down, I saw what he was holding, saw the way his leg was, the way his foot was turned. I had a feeling that was it, but I didn't want to expect the worst," Okafor said, via The Advocate.

The Saints haven't allowed a 100-yard rusher since playing against the Redskins in 2017, when Samaje Perine went for 117 yards.

David Onyemata and rookie Taylor Stallworth got reps on Sunday to fill in for Rankins, and against the Rams we'll likely see more of them. The Saints still held the Eagles to just 250 yards of total offense on Sunday, but they'll be facing a different beast against the Rams. The emergence of Anderson combined with Gurley (who rushed for 123 and 115 yards, respectively, against the Cowboys) is going to be a tough duo to stop for the Saints, and they'll have to do so without one of their key defensive players come next week.