Buffalo Bills have the NFL’s best running game until proven otherwise
Several NFL teams can claim that they have the best group of running backs, but no team has a more convincing case than Rex Ryan’s Buffalo Bills.
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The Dallas Cowboys have Ezekiel Elliott, Alfred Morris, Darren McFadden, and Lance Dunbar; the Tampa Bay Buccaneers duo of Doug Martin and Charles Sims could be the NFL’s most fearsome; the Jacksonville Jaguars just paired Chris Ivory with second-year pro T.J. Yeldon; the Tennessee Titans are worth watching with DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry; the Seattle Seahawks have gobs of young talent at RB; and the New Orleans Saints underrated backfield depth cannot be discounted.
That said, the Buffalo Bills running back group of LeSean McCoy, Karlos Williams, Mike Gillislee, and rookie Jonathan Williams could be the class of the league, and this does not even account for Tyrod Taylor, who scrambled for 568 yards and four TDs in the 2015 season.
Both McCoy and Williams shined in their first seasons in Buffalo, combining for 14 total touchdowns. Behind a powerful offensive line that starred comeback guard Richie Incognito, McCoy soared to 4.4 yards per carry en route to a third straight Pro Bowl. After carrying the ball over 300 times in his final two seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, McCoy carried the rock 203 times in 12 starts, and the decrease in role has proved to be beneficial.
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Of course, the reason why the Bills could feel comfortable decreasing McCoy’s carry total is the presence of Williams. Expected to be a raw rookie whose impact would come down-the-road, Williams proved that raw tools at the running back position can translate much sooner than anticipated. A better pro than college player at FSU, Williams was a touchdown machine and one of the NFL’s most efficient backs. He didn’t even have 100 totes, and that’s a number that could increase in 2016 after he rocked a 5.6 yards per carry average.
Williams and McCoy both missed time at points in the 2015 regular season, but the Bills never missed a beat. That’s because they have one of the league’s most underrated backs and a top-notch No. 3 RB around in Gillislee. The former Florida Gators workhorse turned 47 carries into 267 yards and three TDs, which is an average of 5.7 yards per carry. Although the third-year pro could find no running room in a 24-carry, 28-yard performance to close out the season against the New York Jets, he had electrifying displays against the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys in the preceding contests.
That trio accounted for 1,679 yards and 13 touchdowns, and, of course, Taylor was the team’s second-leading rusher with four rushing TDs of his own. As a whole, the Bills led the NFL in yards per attempt (an astounding 4.8), touchdowns, and yards (2,432) on the ground.
The crazy thing is that they could be even more successful as a rushing attack this year. Taylor, Williams, and McCoy all missed time last season. Sammy Watkins will be utilized effectively for an entire season, and Kolby Listenbee can take attention away from “the box” and the running game with his elite speed, since he could very well be the fastest player in the NFL.
But maybe more convincingly, they are four-deep at the running back position. Getting everyone touches isn’t feasible, but the fact is that having more capable bodies at RB will allow them to be even better at overcoming an injury to, say, Shady or Karlos Williams.
Rookie Jonathan Williams comes into the NFL with a less impressive college resume than former teammate Alex Collins, who joined the Seattle Seahawks. Both players were selected in the fifth round, but Williams went 15 picks earlier than Collins, furthering the notion that he is the better of the two backs. Remember, the Bills took K. Williams last year, and J. Williams could also prove to be a more touted pro than collegiate back.
The Bills newest Williams was compared to highly-rated 2015 second-round pick T.J. Yeldon by NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, and The Draft Wire’s Jon Ledyard slapped a second-round grade on him.
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Last season, the Bills had the NFL’s best rushing attack, and that is a matter of statistical fact. In 2016, they should be just as fearsome on the ground, and while the likes of the Dallas Cowboys can stake their claim, the Bills dominance as a rushing team should not be doubted. They are the class of the NFL when running the ball, and Greg Roman’s offense should be regarded as the kings of the ground game until they are indeed dethroned by another outfit.