Denver Broncos: Key to victory against Buffalo Bills
The key to beating the Buffalo Bills seems simple enough on paper, but how do the Broncos get it done? Here’s what Vance Joseph said…
What are the Denver Broncos going to have to do to beat the Buffalo Bills in their first road game of the 2017 NFL season?
After two big time performances for the Broncos against the Chargers and Cowboys, they need to avoid a let-down against the Bills.
In their last 10 losses (nine last season, one this season) the Bills have averaged just over 123 rushing yards a game. There are some outliers there, including a game against Vance Joseph’s Miami defense last year where they rushed for 272 yards (!) in a loss.
That’s nearly impossible to do.
Among those 10 losses, however, there were six times where the Bills rushed for less than 100 yards. The formula, then, for beating the Buffalo Bills?
It’s as simple as stopping the run.
If you look at their first two games this season as well, they ran for 190 yards in a week one win over the Jets, and just 69 yards in a week two loss against Carolina.
It doesn’t really get more black and white.
Obviously, their success running the ball in some losses bodes well for the Broncos in some respect. The Bills haven’t even always been good enough to win games when they run the ball well, even exceptionally well (see: 272 yard performance in a loss vs. Miami).
So far this season, the Broncos have allowed just 104 total rushing yards to opposing teams, including a dominant performance in week two against Ezekiel Elliott, one of the best backs in the NFL.
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They face a similar task in week three on the road against a Buffalo team that is going to want to set the tone with the running game. Offensive coordinator Rick Dennison is someone this Broncos team knows really well, and he’s going to have to find a way to get some balance to the Buffalo offense if they are going to stay in this game.
The formula for a victory seems simple enough this week: Stop the run, and don’t screw up offensively. The Broncos are getting some reinforcements in the running game defensively this week with the return of Zach Kerr from injury and Ahtyba Rubin likely available after signing prior to week two.
Not only are the Broncos stout against the run on the defensive line, but Shaquil Barrett and Von Miller are two of the best run defending edge players in the league right now, and it’s certainly not easy to escape the grips of linebackers Todd Davis and Brandon Marshall.
This Denver defense needs to look at this game against Buffalo as a statement game, just like any other. They want to be respected as the best defense in football, and they have a chance to shut down yet another top flight running back and a good run blocking team in the Bills.
If they can keep this Buffalo rushing attack under 100 yards, a win is all but guaranteed.