It’s no secret that the Broncos have struggled to run the ball through the first three weeks of the season. Currently, they rank 30th in the league in yards per carry at 3.2.
Starting up front, Orlando Franklin is the only member of the offensive line with a positive grade in run blocking. Right tackle Chris Clark, in particular, has had a rough start to the season — he currently grades out as PFF’s third-worst run-blocking tackle.
The offensive line isn’t solely to blame for Denver’s poor running game, however. Though Montee Ball has forced 14 missed tackles, he resides in the middle of the pack in yards after contact per attempt (2.31 YCo, 22nd of 47 qualifying runners) and has a -0.1 rushing grade so far.
Virgil Green has been the lone bright spot in the run game with a +3.3 run blocking grade, good for third among all tight ends, but he's been involved in fewer than half of the team's run plays (39 run-blocking snaps).
The schedule doesn’t get any easier for Denver as they face the Cardinals, Jets, 49ers, and Chargers in the next four weeks. Each of those teams boasts a run defense graded among the eight best (per cumulative run defense player grades) through three weeks. Broncos fans are hoping the team can find solutions to the run game during the bye week.
© 2024 PFF - all rights reserved.