Buffalo Bills @ Cincinnati Bengals: Three Keys to the Game
By Dennis Moody
Can the Buffalo Bills establish the run?
The Bills rushed all over the Jets week 1 but were limited by Carolina and Denver weeks 2 and 3. Last week, against Atlanta, they had a decent outing but they expect better. The previous two seasons, the Bills lead the NFL in rushing so look for the team to try and get the run game back on track against the Bengals this week.
Buffalo could get a boost on the offensive line with the potential return of Cordy Glenn to the lineup. That will allow them to shift rookie Dion Dawkins back to right tackle, which would move Jordan Mills to the bench. While Dawkins has done well holding down the left tackle spot, Mills has shown more of his usual inconsistent play, and the unit is much stronger without him in the starting lineup.
The shuffling of the offensive line, along with playing some pretty stout defenses early on this season, has prevented the Bills run game from excelling. LeSean McCoy only ran for 30 yards on 26 carries in weeks 2 and 3. He is averaging 3.4 yards per rush which is 2.2 yards less than last season when he averaged 5.4 yards per attempt.
This year, Cincinnati has given up the third least passing yards in the league. With the Bills already struggling in that area, they need to run the ball well or it could be a similar showing for the offense as in the Carolina game when they only scored 3 points. That’s why it’s so critical for the rushing attack to find success this week.