Will anybody stop the punishing ground games of the Panthers, Chiefs, or 49ers?

[tshirt]

here are the teams that have been held to less than 50 rushing yards so far this season...
Raiders - 49 (2.9 ypc) at Broncos
Lions - 49 (2.5 ypc) at Cardinals
Bucs - 48 (3.4 ypc) v Panthers
Cowboys - 48 (2.5 ypc) v Redskins
Browns - 47 (3.6 ypc) v Dolphins
Ravens - 47 (2.1 ypc) v Packers
Seahawks - 44 (2.9 ypc) at Rams
Steelers - 44 (2.8 ypc) at Bengals
Saints - 41 (3.2 ypc) at Jets
Jags - 40 (2.2 ypc) v Colts
Bears - 38 (1.9 ypc) v Lions
Cowboys - 37 (2.3 ypc) at Chiefs
Cowboys - 36 (4.0 ypc) v Vikings
Falcons - 36 (2.3 ypc) at Rams
Rams - 35 (2.9 ypc) at Cowboys
Steelers - 35 (1.8 ypc) at Raiders
Jags - 34 (1.8 ypc) at Raiders
Steelers - 32 (2.1 ypc) v Titans
Chargers - 32 (1.7 ypc) at Raiders
Vikings - 30 (2.1 ypc) at Giants
Cardinals - 30 (1.7 ypc) v Seahawks
Falcons - 27 (1.9 ypc) at Cardinals
Ravens - 24 (2.7 ypc) at Bills
Giants - 23 (1.2 ypc) v Broncos
Dolphins - 22 (2.0 ypc) v Ravens
Dolphins - 20 (0.9 ypc) at Browns
Colts - 18 (1.3 ypc) v Rams
Falcons -18 (1.0 ypc) v Bucs
Rams -18 (0.9 ypc) v 49ers
Dolphins - 2 (0.1 ypc) at Bucs

and here are the teams that have yet to be held to less than 50 yards rushing, and the lowest number of rushing yards they HAVE been held to so far...
Panthers - 95 (4.8 ypc) at Cardinals
Chiefs - 95 (4.1 ypc) at Bills
49ers - 90 (2.6 ypc) v Packers
Bills - 88 (3.5 ypc) at Saints
Jets - 83 (4.2 ypc) v Steelers
Redskins - 74 (4.1 ypc) v Eagles
Texans - 73 (3.0 ypc) at Chiefs
Titans - 66 (3.3 ypc) at Seahawks
Broncos - 64 (3.2 ypc) at Colts
Packers - 63 (3.3 ypc) at 49ers
Bengals - 57 (3.2 ypc) at Lions
Patriots - 54 (2.3 ypc) v Jets
Eagles - 53 (3.1 ypc) at Giants

 

[tshirt]

Note that teams with unstoppable ground games tend to be built for cold weather (deep in the playoffs)

 

[tshirt]

And note that the Panthers at 49ers game Sunday was a treat for those that like the old-school punishing ground game vs punishing ground game "3 yards and a cloud of dust" type wars

 

[tshirt]

Jamaal Charles: on pace for 1,290 yards rushing and 691 yards receiving for 1,981 yards from scrimmage and 25 total TD

 

[tshirt]

Frank Gore: on pace for 1,244 yards rushing, 12 TD plus 208 yards receiving (for a total of 1,452 yards from scrimmage)

 

[tshirt]

DeAngelo Williams: on pace for 1,004 rushing yards plus 236 receiving yards for a total of 1,240 yards from scrimmage

Jonathan Stewart: has only played two games: ran for 41 yards last game vs 49ers and 43 the game before that v the Falcons

Cam Newton: on pace for 476 rushing yards, 7 rushing TD

FB Mike Tolbert: on pace for 379 rushing yards and 176 receiving yards for 555 yards from scrimmage and 11 total TD

 

[Uhsplit]

No offense, but I am happy with Marshawn.

 

[cdumler7]

I would say chiefs need to be careful with Charles as his touches per game are going to cause him to burn out by the end of the season. I would also say not many teams have forced the chiefs out of their game plan of running but this second half of the season they will definitely be tested having five of their final games against teams ranked in the top ten in total offense

 

[tshirt]

No offense, but I am happy with Marshawn.

he is a beast. With Marshawn, the Seahawks have only been held to less than 85 yards rushing seven times in the last three years

2011
64 (2.9 ypc) at 49ers -- L 17-33 -- Lynch: 33 yds (2.5 ypc)
61 (3.1 ypc) v Bengals -- L 12-34 -- Lynch: 24 yds (1.5 ypc))
60 (1.8 ypc) at Bears -- W 38-14 -- Lynch: 42 (2.1 ypc)
53 (3.5 ypc) v Falcons -- L 28-30 -- Lynch: 24 yds (3.0 ypc)
31 (2.4 ypc) at Steelers -- L 0-24 -- Lynch: 11 yds (1.8 ypc)

2012
[lowest was 85 (3.3 ypc) v Patriots -- W 24-23 -- Lynch: 41 yds (2.7 ypc)]

2013
70 (2.7 ypc) at Panthers -- W 12-7 -- Lynch: 43 yds (2.53 ypc)
44 (2.9 ypc) at Rams -- W 14-9 -- Lynch: 23 yds (2.88 ypc)


the Panthers have only been held to less than 95 yards rushing six times in the last three years

2011
74 (2.7 ypc) -- at Cardinals
71 (3.4 ypc) -- v Packers

2012
82 (4.3 ypc) -- v Seahawks
60 (3.0 ypc) -- v Giants
52 (2.5 ypc) -- v Broncos
10 (0.8 ypc) -- at Bucs

2013
(lowest: 95)


With Kaepernick as the starter, the 49ers have only been held to less than 90 yards rushing one time:

2011
n/a

2012
82 (4.3 ypc) -- at Seahawks

2013
(lowest: 90)


With Jamaal Charles, the Chiefs have only been held to less than 90 yards two times in the last three years:

2011
(lowest: 108)

2012
80 (2.7 ypc) at Bucs -- J Charles: 40 yds (3.3 ypc)
10 (1.0 ypc) at Raiders -- J Charles: 10 yds (1.1 ypc)

2013
(lowest: 95)

 

[TDs3nOut]

I think it's quite likely that Denver will "stop the punishing ground game" of KC. Teams have only averaged 87 yards per game this year on 3.4 yards per attempt against Denver. The Denver defense has also gotten better the past couple of weeks as Von Miller has begun rounding into form and Wesley Woodyard has returned from injury. Teams typically have had to play from behind against Denver's top ranked scoring offense, and KC is likely to find itself in that situation, forcing them to try to throw the ball. Should be a challenge for the Broncos defense, but I think that they are up to the task. Can't wait to see.

 

[tshirt]

here is the number of rush yards Denver has given up this year

didn't do much to stop
166 (4.7 ypc) v Eagles who average 154 (5.1 ypc)
131 (3.7 ypc) at Chargers who avg 107 (3.8 ypc)
121 (3.9 ypc) at Colts who average 110 (4.4 ypc)
71 (2.6 ypc) v Jags who average 65 (2.8 ypc)
52 (3.7 ypc) v Cowboys who avg 77 (3.9 ypc)
58 (2.8 ypc) v Ravens who average 73 (2.8 ypc)

held to to 75%
112 (4.0 ypc) v Redskins who avg 151 (5.1 ypc)

stuffed
49 (2.9 ypc) v Raiders who average 143 (4.9 ypc)
23 (1.2 ypc) at Giants who average 77 (3.2 ypc)

 

[TDs3nOut]

here is the number of rush yards Denver has given up this year

didn't do much to stop
166 (4.7 ypc) v Eagles who average 154 (5.1 ypc)
131 (3.7 ypc) at Chargers who avg 107 (3.8 ypc)
121 (3.9 ypc) at Colts who average 110 (4.4 ypc)
71 (2.6 ypc) v Jags who average 65 (2.8 ypc)
52 (3.7 ypc) v Cowboys who avg 77 (3.9 ypc)
58 (2.8 ypc) v Ravens who average 73 (2.8 ypc)

held to to 75%
112 (4.0 ypc) v Redskins who avg 151 (5.1 ypc)

stuffed
49 (2.9 ypc) v Raiders who average 143 (4.9 ypc)
23 (1.2 ypc) at Giants who average 77 (3.2 ypc)

The last three teams on your "didn't do much to stop" list all ran for less than 72 yards and two of them averaged less than 3 yards per carry, so I think that those teams are best described by the "stuffed" label on your third list.

To the point at hand -- which is whether Denver will "stop the punishing ground game of KC" -- I expect Denver's defense to focus on stopping the run and taking away the short throws underneath that Smith favors, forcing him to try and beat them over the top. How successful Denver is at that, along with whether the Broncos offense is able to play with a lead and continue to score, figure to be the keys in answering those questions. Personally, I like the Broncos chances, but we shall see Sunday night.

 

[cdumler7]

Broncos have one game where they gave up over 4 yards per carry and that was with a running quarterback as a threat. Smith can run some but I don't see him having that much success against this defense at least like Vick did. I like the chances of Denver at least containing the run game. Obviously with a talent like Charles you won't stop him completely all game but I do think the Broncos can stop him enough to at least hold the Chiefs offense in check. We shall see I guess.

Also tshirt you really need to work on how you look at stats because you are probably the worst manipulator on this message board when it comes to stats and only looking at a small fraction of the full picture.

Look at those running stats against the Broncos and I would say what is more important than yards given up is actual yards per carry. The Broncos have held teams under their season average in every single game this season. What teams are trying to do is establish the run early, run down the clock, and give Peyton and the offense as few of chances as possible. Makes sense especially early on.

 

[TDs3nOut]

Broncos have one game where they gave up over 4 yards per carry and that was with a running quarterback as a threat. Smith can run some but I don't see him having that much success against this defense at least like Vick did. I like the chances of Denver at least containing the run game. Obviously with a talent like Charles you won't stop him completely all game but I do think the Broncos can stop him enough to at least hold the Chiefs offense in check. We shall see I guess.

Also tshirt you really need to work on how you look at stats because you are probably the worst manipulator on this message board when it comes to stats and only looking at a small fraction of the full picture.

Look at those running stats against the Broncos and I would say what is more important than yards given up is actual yards per carry. The Broncos have held teams under their season average in every single game this season. What teams are trying to do is establish the run early, run down the clock, and give Peyton and the offense as few of chances as possible. Makes sense especially early on.

Good point, cd. There seems to be a disconnect between saying that Denver "didn't do much to stop the run" in six of its nine games and the fact that they have given up fewer yards per carry than all but one team in the league.

 

[tshirt]

Good point, cd. There seems to be a disconnect between saying that Denver "didn't do much to stop the run" in six of its nine games and the fact that they have given up fewer yards per carry than all but one team in the league.

just looking at YPC...

didn't stop at all (held to 95% to 100%)
2.8 ypc v Ravens who average 2.8 ypc - 100%
3.7 ypc at Chargers who avg 3.8 ypc - 97%
3.7 ypc v Cowboys who avg 3.9 ypc - 95%

didn't do much to stop (held to 87% to 93%)
2.6 ypc v Jags who average 2.8 ypc - 93%
4.7 ypc v Eagles who average 5.1 ypc - 92%
3.9 ypc at Colts who average 4.4 ypc - 87%

held to to ~75%
4.0 ypc v Redskins who avg 5.1 ypc - 78%

stuffed
2.9 ypc v Raiders who average 4.9 ypc - 59%
1.2 ypc at Giants who average 3.2 ypc - 38%

 

[cdumler7]

just looking at YPC...

didn't stop at all (held to 95% to 100%)
2.8 ypc v Ravens who average 2.8 ypc - 100%
3.7 ypc at Chargers who avg 3.8 ypc - 97%
3.7 ypc v Cowboys who avg 3.9 ypc - 95%

didn't do much to stop (held to 87% to 93%)
2.6 ypc v Jags who average 2.8 ypc - 93%
4.7 ypc v Eagles who average 5.1 ypc - 92%
3.9 ypc at Colts who average 4.4 ypc - 87%

held to to ~75%
4.0 ypc v Redskins who avg 5.1 ypc - 78%

stuffed
2.9 ypc v Raiders who average 4.9 ypc - 59%
1.2 ypc at Giants who average 3.2 ypc - 38%

Again your stats show a small portion of the full picture. Anyway I guess we shall see on the field Sunday what happens

 

[tshirt]

Again your stats show a small portion of the full picture. Anyway I guess we shall see on the field Sunday what happens

anything can happen. Raiders weren't able to slow down the Chiefs ground game, and looking at mutual opponents between the Raiders and the Broncos, the Raiders' run D was better than the Broncos vs three of them...

1. Chargers ran for 3.7 ypc on Broncos, but only 1.7 ypc on Raiders

2. Jags ran for 2.6 ypc on Broncos, but only 1.8 ypc on Raiders

3. Redskins ran for 4.0 on Broncos, but only 3.8 on Raiders


but against the other three, the Broncos D had the better ypc against ...

1. Colts ran for 4.9 ypc on Raiders but only 3.9 on Broncos
(***note Vick Ballard was out for season by the time the Colts played the Broncos, but he ran for 63 yards and 4.8 ypc on the Eagles)

2. Eagles ran for 5.3 ypc on Raiders but only 4.7 on Broncos
(***note: Eagles held L. McCoy to 44 yards and 3.7 ypc while McCoy ran for 73 yards and 4.6 ypc on the Broncos)

3. Giants ran for 3.5 ypc on Raiders but only 1.2 on Broncos
(***note: Andre Brown was injuried v Broncos, but ran for 115 yards and 3.8 ypc on Raiders)

 

[cdumler7]

anything can happen. Raiders weren't able to slow down the Chiefs ground game, and looking at mutual opponents between the Raiders and the Broncos, the Raiders' run D was better than the Broncos vs three of them...

1. Chargers ran for 3.7 ypc on Broncos, but only 1.7 ypc on Raiders

2. Jags ran for 2.6 ypc on Broncos, but only 1.8 ypc on Raiders

3. Redskins ran for 4.0 on Broncos, but only 3.8 on Raiders


but against the other three, the Broncos D had the better ypc against ...

1. Colts ran for 4.9 ypc on Raiders but only 3.9 on Broncos
(***note Vick Ballard was out for season by the time the Colts played the Broncos, but he ran for 63 yards and 4.8 on the Eagles)

2. Eagles ran for 5.3 ypc on Raiders but only 4.7 on Broncos
(***note: Eagles held L. McCoy to 44 yards and 3.7 ypc while McCoy ran for 73 yards and 4.6 ypc on the Broncos)

3. Giants ran for 3.5 ypc on Raiders but only 1.2 on Broncos
(***note: Andre Brown was injuried v Broncos, but ran for 115 yards and 3.8 ypc on Raiders)

All good thoughts and stats. Now I will say the Broncos in a yards per carry basis have been the best team over the past 2 seasons combined so to me that shows they have been a pretty darn good running defense and my guess for the upcoming game is the Broncos will dare the Chiefs to try and beat them through the air sticking 8 in the box most of the game at least until they will have built up a big enough lead.

Now in those games you mention you need to remember that in all of those games the Broncos were already in blow out mode so some of those runs happened after they had gone to nickel and dime defenses to help pad some of those stats. So again hard to tell when just looking at raw stats of how good or bad a team really did in a certain game. Such as that Eagle game. Against the Broncos they had Michael Vick who adds to the run in being that extra runner that a defense has to worry about so it opens things up for McCoy compared to when the Raiders played them. Throw in it looked like the Raiders were trying everything to make sure McCoy didn't beat them which then lead to 7 touchdown passes.

Giants game Broncos didn't have to go against Andre Brown but they did have Brandon Jacobs and David Wilson in that game. Both very capable running backs and both actually leading the team in carries still even though they are both out now.

Then the Vick Ballard argument the Colts didn't have him but they did have Richardson and Brown at the time the Broncos played them. So again just saying well this one player wasn't in so that explains it really doesn't paint the whole picture.

I could throw out other reasons in some of those games such as Broncos only had Von Miller for the Colts game and that was his first one back and he is probably the Broncos best run defender so that played a role. The Broncos have also been without their best run defender in the secondary most of the season in Champ Bailey. So see there are so many things that help paint the full picture of it all.

 

[flaraider]

Broncos have one game where they gave up over 4 yards per carry and that was with a running quarterback as a threat. Smith can run some but I don't see him having that much success against this defense at least like Vick did. I like the chances of Denver at least containing the run game. Obviously with a talent like Charles you won't stop him completely all game but I do think the Broncos can stop him enough to at least hold the Chiefs offense in check. We shall see I guess.

Also tshirt you really need to work on how you look at stats because you are probably the worst manipulator on this message board when it comes to stats and only looking at a small fraction of the full picture.

Look at those running stats against the Broncos and I would say what is more important than yards given up is actual yards per carry. The Broncos have held teams under their season average in every single game this season. What teams are trying to do is establish the run early, run down the clock, and give Peyton and the offense as few of chances as possible. Makes sense especially early on.

I happen to think it is an interesting manipulation of the stats, but then I do love stats. I do think it is valid to assume that teams will want to run against Denver for the reasons you state, so perhaps the numbers "lie" a bit, but there is also some certain truth there.

 

[tshirt]

Saints up first....woah they break the record for the team to hold the 49ers to their lowest total rushing yards this season... 81 yards (3.7 ypc). Surprising indeed. Dat Ryan family D

Denver up to the plate now...Jack DEL RIO!!!