Montee Ball Returns as Broncos Search for Stability in Run Game

The Denver Broncos don’t need a great running game to score points and win games, but they might need at least a decent one to win against the top teams they will face in the postseason. Even the defeated Oakland Raiders showed just last week that it’s possible to slow down quarterback Peyton Manning for a couple quarters before he makes adjustments.

For a team with any semblance of an offense, slowing down the Broncos passing game for two quarters could provide the window it needs to win the game. The Broncos have gone without a score in two quarters of a game twice this season—both losses.

The Broncos are hoping the return of Week 1 starting running back Montee Ball this week after a five-game absence with a groin injury can provide a spark despite the fact that he had lost the starting job to the now-injured Ronnie Hillman. Last week’s shuffling of the offensive line and this week’s flirtation with free-agent offensive guard Richie Incognito proves just how far the team is willing to go to fix the Broncos’ rushing woes.

Just how bad is Denver’s running game?

The Broncos rank 27th in rushing yards and 25th in yards per carry so far this season. Only 23.4 percent of the team’s yards have come on the ground, which ranks 30th in the league.

	Rush Yards Per Game	Yards Per Carry	Rush Yards % of Total	Rush TD % of Total
Stat	871	3.7	23.40%	19.40%
Rank	27	25	30	25

Without much of a running game, the Broncos have used their great passing game to move the chains, milk the clock and make big plays. There’s a huge burden on the passing game, and that makes it easier for an opposing defense to disrupt—especially in nasty weather.

Due to injuries and ineffectiveness, the Broncos have four running backs with 30 or more carries this season. The Broncos had just three running backs with 30 or more carries all of last season, and one of them is no longer with the team. It’s obvious the team isn’t happy with its backfield, even if it was getting ready to settle on Hillman as the starter.

Before going down with an injury, Ball was averaging just 3.1 yards per carry. Of the running backs with at least 50 carries in the NFL this season, only four have been less productive on a per-carry basis than Ball.

Hillman’s 4.2 yards per carry was serviceable, but a midfoot sprain is going to keep him out for a while. Who knows how effective Hillman will be once he returns, as foot sprains can certainly linger.  

The most consistent performing running back in Denver this year has actually been C.J. Anderson, but the sample size of just 30 carries is too small to draw any definitive conclusions. Still, he’s averaging a healthy 5.7 yards per carry, and in his first extensive action last week, he rushed for 90 yards on 13 carries and added 73 yards through the air.

RB	ATT	YDS	TD	YPC	REC	YDS	TD
Hillman	91	378	3	4.2	20	137	1
Ball	55	172	1	3.1	9	62	0
Anderson	30	172	0	5.7	8	107	1
Thompson	30	121	3	4.0	3	2	0

Anderson’s 163 yards from scrimmage on 17 touches last week in relief was 25 yards more than Hillman’s best effort against the San Diego Chargers and 42 yards more than Ball’s career high. The only running back with more yards from scrimmage in a game since Manning arrived in town was Knowshon Moreno, who did it twice but needed 36 and 38 touches to gain 167 yards and 230 yards, respectively.

Sure, it was the Raiders, but it’s been apparent to the naked eye that Anderson has been better than Ball and Hillman for a while now. Even Mike Klis, the Broncos beat writer for The Denver Post, thinks Anderson is the team’s best running back and has shown enough for the Broncos to see what he can do.

Of course, there’s always a chance that with more carries Anderson proves to be no better than Ball or Hillman because the run blocking is the real problem. Just about a week ago, offensive coordinator Adam Gase was slamming his offensive line’s ability to run block.

"It's hard to make any ground when you're getting hit behind the line of scrimmage,” Gase said via Klis. “It starts with those front five guys making sure we've got guys covered up. Then it's the backs' job to find the hole and hit it."

The Broncos had already started shuffling the offensive line by replacing Chris Clark at right tackle with Paul Cornick. That wasn’t working, and another shuffle was already in the works when Cornick hurt his shoulder. The Broncos gave backup center Will Montgomery the start last week, moved center Manny Ramirez over to right guard and moved right guard Louis Vasquez over to right tackle.

Then, the Broncos worked out Incognito, according to ESPN. He hasn’t played since the Miami Dolphins suspended him for harassment of teammate Jonathan Martin last year. According to Chris Mortensen of ESPN, the Broncos researched Incognito as a late-season addition in 2013 before he agreed to remain suspended for the season with pay.  

Data via Pro Football Focus

Collectively, only Montgomery has a positive run-block grade this season on Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Montgomery’s job will also be much harder Sunday in his second start because he faces impressive rookie defensive tackle Aaron Donald.

The entire starting five to start the season has run-block grades of negative-3.1 and below. Last year, Clady was the only one who graded in the negative, and he played in just two games. At this point, Gase has already done just about all he can do to maximize the effectiveness with the way he calls the game.

The Broncos have favored running the ball to the left behind Orlando Franklin because that’s where the team has found the most success. To no surprise, Franklin is the highest rated of Denver’s offensive linemen that have started at least two games.

Week	Team	YPG	YPC	TD
1	IND	9	26	19
2	KC	20	31	1
3	SEA	4	1	2
5	ARI	3	6	7
6	NYJ	5	5	2
7	SF	7	12	7
8	SD	17	23	14
9	NE	22	22	7
10	OAK	27	8	23
	AVG	13	15	9
11	STL	25	21	23
12	MIA	10	11	2
13	KC	20	31	1
14	BUF	8	7	7
15	SD	17	23	14
16	CIN	31	27	29
17	OAK	27	8	23
	AVG	20	18	14

What’s weird about Denver’s struggles to run block is that it didn’t have the same issues last year or the year before with mostly the same pieces. That may give fans reason to believe the issues are correctable, but it’s also possible the schedule was just tougher this year and running the ball is going to continue to be difficult for the Broncos.

The good news is that the schedule eases up over the final seven games. On average, over the first nine games, the Broncos faced a run defense that ranked 13th in yards per game allowed, 15th in yards per carry allowed and ninth in touchdowns allowed. Over the final seven games, their opponents average 20th in yards per game allowed, 18th in yards per carry allowed and 14th in touchdowns allowed.

The bad news is that the Broncos are likely to see tough run defenses in the playoffs. The only team in the top 10 in rush yards per game allowed that doesn’t have a winning record is the New York Jets.

The Broncos will have some time to work on their running game over the final two months, but if it doesn’t improve, the team may be vulnerable in the playoffs. The passing offense is great, but the Broncos will need to rely on their running game in December and January as the weather gets colder and wetter, and the opponents get better.  

Unless otherwise noted, all statistics via Pro-Football-Reference.com.