Statistic of the week: 1.87

It’s no secret just how atrocious Buffalo’s defense has been this season; there is a seemingly never-ending list of statistics that could be listed here to show their level of complete ineptitude. One of the most disturbing aspects of this has been Buffalo’s ability to make slumping or 2^nd and 3^rd string running backs look like perennial Pro-Bowlers. I wanted to look into the difference between running backs effectiveness against Buffalo compared to their effectiveness over the rest of the season.

This brings us back to our statistic of the week: 1.87. 

Over Buffalo’s seven games this season, the ten running backs they’ve faced who carried the ball more than ten times against them are averaging 1.87 yards more per carry against Buffalo than in their other six games this season. Running backs are averaging 5.83 yards per carry against Buffalo compared to 3.96 in their other six games. The ten running backs who carried the ball more than ten times against Buffalo have accumulated 904 yards against them and 2,366 in their other six games.

That means running backs have accumulated 27.65% of their season’s total yardage in just one of their seven games (14.29% of their games). Only two of those ten running backs averaged fewer yards per carry against Buffalo than they did in the rest of their games. Three of those running backs posted a yards per carry against Buffalo that was more than double their yards per carry against all other opponents.

If we limit the scope to just the past four games, running backs are averaging 6.83 yards per carry against Buffalo and 4.21 yards per carry in the rest of their games while accumulating 29.9% of their seasons total yardage in just their one game against the Bills. Buffalo is dead last in the league in run defense, allowing 6.0 yards per carry against (only one other team is over 5.0 yards per carry) and 176.9 yards per game (only one other team is over 150 yards per game).

They have allowed a league high 13 rushing touchdowns against, 2^nd place in that category has only allowed nine. The list of problems with the Bills runs very deep right now but the run defense should be right at the top of that list.