Lynch Set To Bust Out?
Slowly but surely Buffalo's running game has been gaining momentum. Moving the ball on the ground consistently has been anything but easy, but Bills head coach Dick Jauron sees progress.
"I know we're getting better," said Jauron.
When you look back at the run defenses the Bills have faced through their first six games you understand why it's been tough sledding for Marshawn Lynch and company.
Buffalo has faced four of the league's top 10 run defenses thus far including the second-ranked Ravens and third-ranked Steelers. But all of that stiff competition looks to be serving the Bills run game well.
Marshawn Lynch had his second highest rushing output of the season last Sunday against the highest ranked run front they've faced this year (Baltimore) with 84 yards and a touchdown.
That's why it stands to reason that the Bills ground attack has a good chance of breaking out with some big games in the weeks to come.
Buffalo faces the 28th, 27th and 31st ranked run defenses over the next three weeks in the Jets, Bengals and Dolphins respectively. All three teams are allowing better than 135 yards per game on the ground, including Miami's whopping 156 yards per contest.
But don't tell Dick Jauron that the next three weeks will be a walk, or in this case rush in the park.
"I would hesitate to say that," said Jauron. "It almost sounds like you're saying that the next guys coming up aren't as good and that's not the case. We had a really tough schedule to start the season, but it doesn't get any easier as we move forward."
Still it's hard to argue that Buffalo's run game has been hardened by facing some top flight competition through the first seven weeks.
"When you go against the best, it just prepares you to play against the best," said Lee Evans. "So when you have an opportunity against some teams that aren't as strong, you're strong."
Even Jauron conceded that facing good teams generally raises the level of your own play moving forward.
"We're improving and I guess the competition in the league helps make us improve," he said.
Marshawn Lynch is only averaging 3.6 yards per carry this season. While the numbers don't look impressive, the rookie tailback has been shaking off would-be tacklers and grinding his way for extra yardage.
"He's a tremendously hard runner that runs with passion," said Evans. "He brings a different dynamic to our offense. From the things we've seen from him he's begun to earn that trust that the coaches and we need to have in him."
The Bills top pick feels he has fully settled into the club's offense and puts his faith in the men lined up in front of him.
"With those big guys up front every week I go into the game with a smile on my face," said Marshawn Lynch. "I know those big five up there are going to take care of me."
First up are the Jets, who allow over 135 rushing yards a game. Last week they let Cincinnati reserve running back Kenny Watson rumble for 130 yards on 31 carries and three touchdowns as they committed to stopping Carson Palmer and his ultra-talented receiving corps.
In Buffalo's first meeting with New York, the Jets committed to stopping Marshawn Lynch often putting eight men in the box to shut down rushing lanes. The Bills running back finished with 79 yards and a touchdown, and averaged just 3.4 per carry, but he was effective enough in a 17-14 Bills win.
What the Jets' defense chooses to neutralize this Sunday is a tough call. After getting gouged for 130 yards on the ground last week, they again may use eight man fronts to slow down Marshawn Lynch, but Trent Edwards showed he can beat New York through the air with fewer defensive backs in coverage.
In the first meeting facing a healthy amount of three deep zone, Edwards completed almost 79 percent of his passes most of which were of the intermediate variety. After barely blitzing at all in the first meeting Edwards should face more pressure packages from the Jets.
Nevertheless the fact remains that New York isn't talented enough defensively to hold Buffalo's run and pass game down simultaneously. With a young quarterback still traveling a learning curve and a run game that's quickly become battle tested, the Jets defensive approach may be quite similar to what it was in the first meeting. Whether it's enough to keep New York close again remains to be seen.
See
more at www.buffalobills.com
|
