The Tennessee Titans have shut down Ezekiel Elliott and Leonard Fournette.

But they let Lamar Miller and Isaiah Crowell run all over them.

Tennessee has defended well against marquee running backs this season while letting more pedestrian talents have big games. The Titans face Saquon Barkley, another top-tier rusher, when they visit the New York Giants on Sunday.

Barkley, a rookie out of Penn State who was drafted No. 2 overall in the NFL Draft, ranks third in the league in rushing with 1,124 yards. He has nine touchdowns and averages 5.4 yards per carry.

"You can see it on tape," said Rashaan Evans, the Titans rookie linebacker. "Not a hype job at all. He's definitely the real deal."

In addition to his rushing yards, Barkley has caught 78 passes – eighth most in the NFL – for 629 yards and four receiving touchdowns.

"What doesn't he have as a running back?" Titans defensive coordinator Dean Pees said. "I mean, the guy can catch the ball out of the backfield, obviously we knew he's a great runner, he's got power, he's got speed when he turns it on."

"It's almost more like what can't he do? I don't know what he can't do."

What Tennessee can't do, if it wants to keep its playoff hopes alive, is allow Barkley to run like Miller did for the Houston Texans, gaining 162 yards, or like Crowell did for the New York Jets, plugging away for 98. The Titans need to treat the rookie runner like they did Fournette and Elliott, who gained a combined 97 yards on 31 carries in their games against Tennessee.

Containing Barkley will take a village.

"Hard to tackle him in open space, definitely a guy we are going to have to swarm and not let him get started," Titans linebacker Wesley Woodyard said.

Barkley's high profile motivates the Titans defense.

"For me, I love going against great competitors," Evans said. "I like competing against the best.

"Definitely when you go up against one of those guys with a lot of prestige and a lot of press behind them, you want to get after those guys especially," Woodyard said. "It's a challenge for us and we're excited to accept it."

Reach Tommy Deas at 615-259-8328 and on Twitter @tommydeas.