Wow! We're Really Good at Stopping the Run!

[st pete gogolak]

One of the big concerns about Bills' D in 2020 and 2021 was its inconsistency at stopping the run (2020 home game against the Chiefs, 2021 Jonathan Taylor debacle being a couple of examples).  We were not 2021 Chargers bad but very middle of the pack.  This year  - first in YPG and second in YPA.  Tremendous.  Don't know if it's Jones being 100% better than Star or DE's that play the run well (Lawson, Rousseau, et al.) or a combination of things but it is great to see.  Used to be worried about teams that run the ball well but this year - Jets, Pats, Browns - bring them on!

[Big Turk]

1 minute ago, st pete gogolak said:

One of the big concerns about Bills' D in 2020 and 2021 was its inconsistency at stopping the run (2020 home game against the Chiefs, 2021 Jonathan Taylor debacle being a couple of examples).  We were not 2021 Chargers bad but very middle of the pack.  This year  - first in YPG and second in YPA.  Tremendous.  Don't know if it's Jones being 100% better than Star or DE's that play the run well (Lawson, Rousseau, et al.) or a combination of things but it is great to see.  Used to be worried about teams that run the ball well but this year - Jets, Pats, Browns - bring them on!

 

I think the line in general is very deep in terms of ability all over the place.  Rousseau, Basham and Lawson are all very effective against the run and setting edges, Da'Quan is a monster inside and the other DT's have been playing very well also.  

 

 

[Your Brown Eye]

Those teams will be the Litmus test for our run defense, but I agree, so far it looks improved

[mrags]

Well. First of all, the DL we have this year is significantly better at stopping the run. Phillips, Lawson, Jones, Settle. Are all better than the best run defenders we had last year. 
 

but, it seems we are also in shootouts more. Let’s face it, Pittsburg wasn’t gonna try and run being down by multiple scores. Miami wanted a track meet at WR, along with the Rams and the Chiefs. And I’d say that Baltimore isn’t exactly a run game juggernaut anymore. 
 

but the fact is we have definitely gotten better and I’m not worried anymore. 

[Allen2D̶i̶g̶g̶s̶TBD]

Daquon Jones deserves a lot of credit for being immovable against the run and still getting penetration against the pass. Settle has been a bit of a disappointment, but he also has some lingering injuries.

[RocCityRoller]

DaQuan Jones has been the most underrated player on this team this season. What an addition.

 

Add to that Rousseau is a very complete DE already.

[hemma]

This has happened during the toughest part of our schedule in spite of Oliver, through injury, being a non-contributor.  

 

DaQuan is making everything work better, including Edmunds.

[Bills2022]

Our run defense has improved dramatically.  There is the issue of us blowing out numerous teams, which forces them to throw, but the D really is so much better against the run. 

[PaattMaann]

16 minutes ago, Your Brown Eye said:

Those teams will be the Litmus test for our run defense, but I agree, so far it looks improved

 

Because the Titans and Ravens werent good tests?

[Saint Doug]

We make teams abandon the run early. 

[The Firebaugh Kid]

Replacing that bum Star with players who actually want to play 🙂

[Augie]

Yards per game are skewed because we’ve had so many big leads, but yards per attempt still matter. If anything, you’d think we’d give up a bit more because we have a big lead to protect playing for the pass. I’m very pleasantly surprised so far. Much improved. 

[Solomon Grundy]

5 minutes ago, Bandito said:

are these guys upgrades over what we had last year?

ABSOLUTELY!! 

[RocCityRoller]

4 minutes ago, Saint Doug said:

We make teams abandon the run early. 

They have faced the third fewest rush attempts against, but Buffalo is allowing 3.5 YPC which is second best in the league, behind only SF who is allowing 3.3 YPC.

 

 

[mrags]

6 minutes ago, PaattMaann said:

 

Because the Titans and Ravens werent good tests?

The titans we were smoking and they needed to pass to try and make a game of it. And the Ravens rushing stats are misleading. They are based on Lamar’s ability to run and make things happen when plays break down. Their actual designed running plays are not anything like they used to be 

[st pete gogolak]

3 minutes ago, Augie said:

Yards per game are skewed because we’ve had so many big leads, but yards per attempt still matter. If anything, you’d think we’d give up a bit more because we have a big lead to protect playing for the pass. I’m very pleasantly surprised so far. Much improved. 

Exactly!  Second in YPA is impressive no matter what else is going on in the game.

[PaattMaann]

4 minutes ago, mrags said:

The titans we were smoking and they needed to pass to try and make a game of it. And the Ravens rushing stats are misleading. They are based on Lamar’s ability to run and make things happen when plays break down. Their actual designed running plays are not anything like they used to be 

 

so? rushing stats are still rushing stats

[Bookie Man]

Von Miller’s ability against the run is overshadowed by his pass rushing abilities. He’s almost as good against the run as he his at getting to the qb. 

[HoofHearted]

31 minutes ago, st pete gogolak said:

One of the big concerns about Bills' D in 2020 and 2021 was its inconsistency at stopping the run (2020 home game against the Chiefs, 2021 Jonathan Taylor debacle being a couple of examples).  We were not 2021 Chargers bad but very middle of the pack.  This year  - first in YPG and second in YPA.  Tremendous.  Don't know if it's Jones being 100% better than Star or DE's that play the run well (Lawson, Rousseau, et al.) or a combination of things but it is great to see.  Used to be worried about teams that run the ball well but this year - Jets, Pats, Browns - bring them on!

A defensive line that actually commands double teams which is allowing our linebackers to fly around.

[RichRiderBills]

Well I don't agree that it's been a product of blow out losses. The production is very real.

 

KC usually runs all over us, we shut down the run and it was a huge underrated key to victory. 

 

Jones as mentioned has been great, Phillips has been so disruptive...the entire push from the interior guys and the havoc created by DEs has been key.

Edited October 18, 2022 by RichRiderBills

[Bills2022]

11 minutes ago, PaattMaann said:

 

Because the Titans and Ravens werent good tests?

We blew out the Titans, so they abandoned the run. Henry only had 13 carries.  The Ravens ran for 162 yards on us.  Not exactly great.  We still played pretty good against the run though.  

[PaattMaann]

5 minutes ago, Bills2022 said:

We blew out the Titans, so they abandoned the run. Henry only had 13 carries.  The Ravens ran for 162 yards on us.  Not exactly great.  We still played pretty good against the run though.  

 

complimentary football baby

[DabillsDaBillsDaBills]

14 minutes ago, The Firebaugh Kid said:

Replacing that bum Star with players who actually want to play 🙂

 

I feel like bumping some old Lotulelei threads with people saying "Even though he doesn't show up on the stat sheet he's an important part of the defense. He gets double teamed sometimes!" 

 

His contract was an overpay from day 1. He might not have been as terrible a player as some posters on here said, but he was never better than league average. 

 

Opting out of 2020 because of COVID and then choosing to not get vaccinated still blows my mind. 

 

🤮

[mrags]

8 minutes ago, PaattMaann said:

 

so? rushing stats are still rushing stats

Rushing stats are still rushing stats on paper. But they aren’t the same. We’re talking about what the DTs and DEs have been able to provide for us with stopping the run. A breakout play from possibly the most mobile QB in the entire NFL are not the same. 
 

yes, we stopped them and at the end of the day, we are good at stopping the run. I’m simply saying what the Ravens are doing with their run game isn’t anything special. It’s all Lamar. 

[In Summary]

31 minutes ago, Allen2Diggs said:

Daquon Jones deserves a lot of credit for being immovable against the run and still getting penetration against the pass. Settle has been a bit of a disappointment, but he also has some lingering injuries.

Jones helps make all the rest look good.  Can redirects plays in addition to tying up two OL.  Frees Edmunds up to not have to crowd and play straight on against the run or Poyer to have to take on a runner with a head of steam.  Just my opinion.  

 

Miller is great so when he plays great it's not really that interesting.  It's these guys that don't ever get their name mentioned that play lots of snaps at a consistently good level that are the most interesting to me.

[Rc2catch]

2 minutes ago, ChronicAndKnuckles said:

Exactly. Milano has always been very good, but this year he’s taken that next step to elite status and Edmunds has improved a lot also from last year. You have to wonder how much of that is from having a competent defensive line.

Exactly. Milano has always been very good, but this year he’s taken that next step to elite status and Edmunds has improved a lot also from last year. You have to wonder how much of that is from having a competent defensive line.

Exactly. Milano has always been very good, but this year he’s taken that next step to elite status and Edmunds has improved a lot also from last year. You have to wonder how much of that is from having a competent defensive line.

Exactly. Milano has always been very good, but this year he’s taken that next step to elite status and Edmunds has improved a lot also from last year. You have to wonder how much of that is from having a competent defensive line.

Exactly. Milano has always been very good, but this year he is playing at an all pro level. Edmunds is looking improved also. How much of that is from having a competent defensive line?

Lol that’s a lot of quotes 😂😂😂

[wjag]

Well a good test of this is coming.  Packers have two big backs and are likely going to try and run on the Bills.

[billybrew1]

I know it’s largely the new DL but both Tremaine and Matt seem more committed, more tough and angrier than in the past. They both are really playing very well…. They’re doing their part on our March to the Super Bowl win.

[Ethan in Cleveland]

Huge upgrades at DT are paying off and Edmunds is playing the run far better this season. 

I've consistently pointed out Edmunds poor play in the past but agreed with Beane on picking up the 5th year option for this very reason. Edmunds is proving his value. I'd extend him now based on this 6 game sample size. 

[FilthyBeast]

I really though that KC and one of the best oline's in the league was going to be an issue for this run defense but it wasn't so at least so far they've passed every litmus test especially when you look at the Titans and Henry doing their usual thing since they've played us.

 

The only one dimensional team that is going to stand a chance against us in the playoffs is the same one we just beat.

[Charles Romes]

I don’t see anyone saying that Ed Oliver is critical to the run defense, or the pass rush, and he seemed to be on the sidelines when there was significant pressure on Mahomes Sunday.  I’m not saying he’s not a good player, but the lineup with the space eaters inside and our edge rusher rotation seems to be working so well. 

[Patrick Duffy]

40 minutes ago, Bandito said:

are these guys upgrades over what we had last year?

 

Lol, shouldn't even be a question. Crystal clear they are

40 minutes ago, Bandito said:

are these guys upgrades over what we had last year?

 

Lol, shouldn't even be a question. Crystal clear they are

[hemma]

4 minutes ago, Charles Romes said:

I don’t see anyone saying that Ed Oliver is critical to the run defense, or the pass rush, and he seemed to be on the sidelines when there was significant pressure on Mahomes Sunday.  I’m not saying he’s not a good player, but the lineup with the space eaters inside and our edge rusher rotation seems to be working so well. 

 

I talked around it, but you said it!

 

Could impact some upcoming decisions.

[Punching Bag]

46 minutes ago, The Firebaugh Kid said:

Replacing that bum Star with players who actually want to play 🙂

 

Before COVID he was a player who was underappreciated by fans who was doing the job Bills coaching staff wanted.

 

Post COVID he sat out a year, came into camp a lot better shape than expected and then quickly got COVID and he deflated like a balloon.

I know he had medical conditions but he should have taken time paid off to get the shot when he had time to recover from shot like some athletes were worried about side effects and then he would have been in good shape and able to perform for rest of career.

[Utah John]

KC is supposed to have three really good O linemen, including their center.  I don't think I heard his name called once after the pre-game introductions.  You'd think if he'd made some good blocks on running plays, Romo would have mentioned it.  OTOH the pressures against Mahomes were coming mostly from outside, primarily from Miller, so the center probably was doing well in pass protection.  

 

But the point about run defense is very valid.  KC used to have Mahomes doing his thing, and then gash us with running plays.  This time, Mahomes was still doing his thing, but no gashes.  Great improvement.

56 minutes ago, hemma said:

 

I talked around it, but you said it!

 

Could impact some upcoming decisions.

Oliver is a smallish DT, quick and able to penetrate.  He was playing well in the Rams game before he got hurt.  Now the Bills are big-body with the DTs, and looking for penetration from the edges.  I don't know if Oliver is still a little hurt but he does seem to vanish from the action.