Mile High Report
The Buffalo Bills have one major weakness that the Denver Broncos NEED to take advantage of this Saturday, and it is their run defense. The Jacksonville Jaguars were running all over the Bills’ defense this past weekend, but for whatever reason, they did not lean into it.
Veteran running back Trevor Etienne Jr. only had 10 carries, but was averaging 6.7 yards per carry. Meanwhile, explosive rookie running back Bhayshul Tuten only had 4 carries but was averaging an insane 12.8 yards per carry.
The Bills had no answer for the Jaguars’ run game, and this has been an issue for them throughout the year. They ranked 28th against the run during the season and allowed an average of 136.2 yards per game this season, along with a whopping 24 rushing touchdowns.
The Broncos NEED to take advantage of this.
The problem is that, ever since the Broncos lost veteran running back JK Dobbins, their run game has been inconsistent at best. Rookie running back RJ Harvey has struggled at times to get things going on the ground, while Jaleel McLaughlin hasn’t been getting many opportunities. If the Broncos want to win this game, they need to run the ball effectively, control the clock, and keep Bills quarterback Josh Allen on the sideline.
I expect Payton to try to get Harvey on the edges, which was an area where the Jaguars had success vs. the Bills’ defense this past weekend. I think we’ll see Harvey, Mims, and McLaughlin have opportunities in space vs. this Bills defense as well. I even think we’ll see quarterback Bo Nix have some designed runs and use his legs if things are not there in the pass game. It’s a weakness they need to exploit if they want to win.
It would be great to have JK Dobbins for this game, but unfortunately, he is injured, and the other backs need to step up. The Broncos drafted RJ Harvey in the second round, and he needs to step up in a big way vs. the Bills. The same goes for Jaleel McLaughlin, who has been productive in limited opportunities this season.
Run the ball, run it effectively, and don’t stop doing it.
