The run game has officially evolved from minor concern to legitimate problem.
On both sides of the ball, the Broncos are being dominated at the line of the scrimmage. Not only can’t they run the ball, but they can’t stop anyone from running the ball, either; that’s unexpected from a defense that ranked inside the top three in run defense in each of the last two seasons.
Right now, Denver is averaging 3.8 yards per attempt (27th in the NFL), while they’re giving up 4.4 yards per attempt (22nd in the NFL) on the ground. And that doesn’t even do the Broncos justice. Through nine weeks, Denver has rushed for fewer than 90 yards as a team six times — six! And on Sunday, their 33 rushing yards was a season worst.
What’s more disappointing is that they were going up against a Raiders defense that was allowing 4.7 yards per carry (29th in the NFL).
So, what’s the problem? Is it that C.J. Anderson is stuck on injured reserve? Is it that they’re running behind one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL? Or is it that Gary Kubiak simply isn’t running the ball enough (Denver only had 12 carries on the night)?
Probably all of the above and then some.
But if the Broncos want to re-grab control of the AFC West and make a push for a first-round bye, they’ll need to figure something out, because it’s quickly becoming debilitating.
Here’s what the team had to say about it last night:
Gary Kuiak on the run defense:
“It’s a concern. You asked me about that last week when we gave up to San Diego, I think 4.8, but we won the game. We played from the lead. You get behind a team and they’re sitting there pounding that ball like they are and they really made big plays and short yardage if I’m correct. A bunch of short-yardage plays that came busting out. That’s something we’re going to have to improve upon or we’re going to have a hard time from a time standpoint. I think we lost the time of possession almost 2-1 tonight, 3-1 maybe.”
Kubiak on the offensive line play:
“I think they battled, but we’re playing a brand of football that is throw, throw, throw. Hell, it’s not even fair to them but we’ve got to find a way to run the football somehow some way to help our football team and obviously the last two weeks it has been pretty nonexistent. It’s been tough.”
Trevor Siemian on the run game:
“Early on, especially, part of that is on me. Some of those third downs, you can’t run the ball if you’re not on the field. Converting those third downs and staying on the field and getting into a rhythm – it’s not just quarterbacks and receivers, but the offensive line, everybody. It’s something we’ll work on and we’ll get it fixed.”
Bradley Roby on if the time of possession hurt the defense:
“I believe so, like I said, they controlled the clock running the ball for 200 yards, (inaudible)…. 200 yards that’s never good I don’t think we’ve done that since I’ve been here, so it’s something we have to go back to the tape and just keep working.”
Demarcus Ware on the Raiders winning the physical battle:
“I think when you look at the plays where there was so many missed tackles, maybe some missed assignments that we had, and the yards after the catch, those were really big. So, we need to make sure that we go back to the fundamentals of football, and work on those things in practice. I tell the guys to keep your poise. It is not the end of the season. The championship isn’t won yet. We have to improve from this game, because there were a lot of mistakes made, and get ready for next week.”
Chris Harris Jr. on getting beat on the ground:
“Man, that’s something that we have to fix. It’s been leaky pretty much all season. So we have to figure that out and really put an emphasis on that, and get back to doing what we do.”
Brandon Marshall on stopping the run:
“Yeah, I don’t know. You watch film, and maybe you could tell me.”