Breaking Down the Broncos Running Game Struggles in Loss to Patriots
The Denver Broncos found a spark to their ground game when third-year back Ronnie Hillman took over as the starter in Week 6 against the New York Jets. Montee Ball was banged up with a groin injury, and the Broncos turned to Hillman as their starter.
In his first three starts, Hillman had a ton of success on the ground and as a receiver out of the backfield. He looked better than Ball had earlier this season, and it began rumblings about whether or not Ball would get his starting job back when he returned.
Going into the Week 9 matchup against the New England Patriots, Hillman was coming off his second 100-yard day in three starts. Last year’s starter, Knowshon Moreno, rushed for over 200 yards against the Patriots in the regular-season contest. The Patriots backed off in a dime package, and that created huge rushing lanes for Denver that day.
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Hillman did not face similar fronts, and he certainly didn’t enjoy the same level of success.
Even though Hillman made plenty of plays as a receiver (seven catches, 47 yards, one receiving touchdown), he only compiled 16 rushing yards on 10 carries with one rushing touchdown. As a team, the Broncos were only able to gain 43 yards on 17 carries.
Broncos head coach John Fox was looking for more from his backs against New England.
“I think there’s no doubt we need to do better than we did yesterday. We had gotten into a string there where we had improved it. The opponent has a lot to do with that so sometimes when they stack the box you had to go other directions and we didn’t execute in that area as well as we’re capable of.”
So why did the Broncos struggle to run the ball against the Patriots? Let’s take a look.
Ronnie Hillman
Hillman had compiled over 100 all-purpose yards in every game he started leading up to Week 9. Needless to say, he could not duplicate that success on the ground against the Patriots.
Instead of playing far off the line of scrimmage to respect Peyton Manning and the passing game, the Patriots instead crammed eight or nine players near the line of scrimmage. This defensive front often left seven—and sometimes eight—defenders in the box. Hillman’s not the biggest guy, and running against an eight-man front is not going to lead to much production with a player of his skill set.
| Formation | Personnel | Direction | Result |
| shotgun | 11 | left end | 0 yds |
| shotgun | 11 | right tackle | 3 yds |
| pistol | 11 | left tackle | 2 yds |
| singleback | 14 | left end | 1 yd TD |
| shotgun | 11 | left guard | 0 yds |
| singleback | 11 | left guard | 4 yds |
| singleback | 11 | right guard | 2 yds |
| shotgun | 11 | middle | 1 yd |
| shotgun | 12 | left end | 2 yds |
| shotgun | 12 | right end | 1yd |
Here we see the first carry of the game for Hillman. As you can see, there are 10 Patriots players within five yards of the line of scrimmage. Hillman rushes to the left end, but he only gets back to the line for a gain of zero yards.
This picture shows the one-yard touchdown run by Hillman in the first quarter. What’s interesting to note is the Broncos are in the rare “14 personnel” package with two extra offensive linemen (Chris Clark, Will Montgomery) who check in as eligible receivers.
It’s certainly a power look, but Hillman bounces this run to the pylon on the left side of the formation for the score.
Hillman is arguably the fastest player on the Broncos team, but the field conditions had him slipping many times when attempting to make a cut. The Broncos could have used more of a power element when running the ball against New England—Hillman doesn’t provide that.
Juwan Thompson
Once again, we saw the undrafted rookie from Duke as the primary backup behind Hillman. He’s the biggest back (230 pounds) on the roster, but the Broncos chose not to use him that much even though he could’ve helped soften up the Patriots defense.
Thompson is arguably the best back in pass protection on the team, but even that skill set couldn’t get him on the field for more than a small handful of snaps.
| Formation | Personnel | Direction | Result |
| pistol | 11 | left tackle | 0 yds |
| singleback | 11 | left guard | 6 yds |
This picture shows Thompson’s longest run (six yards) of the day. There are six defenders in the box, and the Patriots have nine players within five yards of the line of scrimmage. Thompson ends up taking this carry off the left guard, but he has to jump cut in the backfield to avoid defenders who are crashing in.
Thompson does a good job of punishing defenders on each carry. His battering-ram style would’ve been a way for the Broncos to have a more physical presence on Sunday.
C.J. Anderson
It seems like every time Anderson gets a small handful of carries, he looks better than the other backs on the roster. Anderson was the leading rusher on the team with three carries for 18 yards.
On his first touch in the game, Anderson took a short pass 24 yards for a first down while running over and outrunning Patriots defenders.
| Formation | Personnel | Direction | Result |
| shotgun | 12 | middle | 3 yds |
| shotgun | 12 | left guard | 7 yds 1st down |
| shotgun | 12 | right guard | 8 yds |
Here’s a picture of the formation before his longest run of the day (eight-yard gain). It’s the final play of the game, but the Patriots still have their starters in. However, they are not stacking the line to stop the run.
It’s a mystery why Anderson is not getting used more by this team. He runs with a chip on his shoulder, and he might have the fastest 10-yard split of any back on the team—including Hillman. Anderson will have to continue to earn the trust of the coaching staff with more big gains on limited touches.
Perhaps sometime soon, the Broncos could start using Thompson and Anderson more in the game plan.
Summary
The Broncos are in a Super Bowl window, and they need their ground game to perform up to expectations—especially in the playoffs.
Fox gives the Patriots credit for their ability to stop Denver’s rushing attack.
“We have to execute better. We really do. I think they did a good job. Give them credit, but we’re capable of better.”
The Broncos are capable of better production from the ground game. The Patriots game had a playoff atmosphere, and Denver was humiliated on a big stage—again.
The offensive line had trouble blasting open holes for the running backs in Week 9. Center Manny Ramirez was regularly pushed around by defensive tackle Vince Wilfork. This disruption had a ripple effect down the line of scrimmage on both sides.
The Broncos need to get better play from their interior offensive line. Both Ramirez and left guard Orlando Franklin graded out poorly in Week 9.
Denver has a nice trio of backs with different skill sets. They could throw many different looks at teams if they’d like.
Hillman gives the team a speedy look, and he can make plays in the open field. Thompson and Anderson bring a power element to the field that Hillman doesn’t have.
There’s a magic combination for the running game in Denver. The Broncos need to work diligently to find it. The key to a championship lies within.
All quotes and injury/practice observations obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information provided via email from the Denver Broncos unless otherwise noted. Contract and salary-cap information provided by Spotrac.com. Transaction history provided by ProSportsTransactions.com.
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