In a battle of two teams coming off big victories last week, the Buffalo Bills (7-5) will travel to Mile High to take on the AFC West-leading Denver Broncos (9-3).
When most football fans think of the Broncos’ offense, they picture quarterback Peyton Manning and a strong group of receivers. In recent weeks, though, it has been their running game that has shined and brought a strong balance to their offensive scheme. This rushing attack is lead by C.J. Anderson.
The second-year man has been on fire since taking over for the injured Ronnie Hillman, accumulating a +15.3 overall grade in his last four contests. Since Week 7, Anderson also leads all running backs with an Elusive Rating of 89.4, which includes 37 forced missed tackles and 2.61 Yards after Contact per Attempt. If Anderson can continue his recent form in this week’s matchup, the Bills may have difficulty defending every phase of an already-dangerous Denver offense.
Buffalo could be up to the task, though. The Bills as a team rank third in the NFL with a +54.8 cumulative run defense grade in 2014. They are led by defensive tackle duo Marcel Dareus and Kyle Williams, who have a combined 32 total stops this season. Linebacker Nigel Bradham has also defended the run well, ranking eighth at his position with a 10.9 Run Stop Percentage and fifth with 24 Stops.
Here are three more notable numbers for each side:
Buffalo Bills
Mario Williams– has earned the second-highest overall grade among 4-3 defensive ends this season (+20.6) while leading his position with 12.5 sacks.
Fred Jackson- ranks sixth among running backs targeted at least 30 times with 1.73 Yards per Route Run.
Corey Graham- his 0.77 Yards per Coverage Snap places him fifth in the league among cornerbacks.
Denver Broncos
Chris Harris Jr.- leads all cornerbacks with 0.54 Yards per Coverage Snap and has helped opposing quarterbacks earn a 48.4 rating when throwing into his coverage this season.
Demaryius Thomas- has produced the second-highest Yards per Route Run among recivers this season with 2.71 per.
Von Miller- ranks first among 4-3 outside linebackers with 10 QB Hits, 40 hurries and a +32.2 pass rush grade.
Recently at PFF
PFF Podcast
PFF All-Star Team: 3rd Quarter
Analysis Notebook, Week 13
PFF Pick’em, Week 14
© 2024 PFF - all rights reserved.