Run game resurgence an added weapon

Editor’s note: Due to our Week 13 deadline, this column was written before Buffalo’s Monday night game against the San Francisco 49ers. For more on that game, see pg. 9.

- Mark Ludwiczak

Just in the nick of time, it looks like the Bills have found the ability to create a running game.

The NFL has become a pass-first league, and I’m thrilled to see the Bills follow in the footsteps of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Green Bay Packers. Heck, there are some games where I don’t want the Bills to run the ball at all. But when we get to late December and January, it’s nice to know that the Bills have that option available if they need it.

The most recent example came against the Los Angeles Chargers. Buffalo finished with 172 yards on the ground; Devin Singletary (82 yards, 7.5 average) and Zack Moss (69 yards, 6.6 average) each posted gaudy averages and were able to pick up chunks of yardage at a time.

The Bills hardly ran the ball at all in the weeks leading up to that Chargers game, because there was no need to run the football. When you’re engaged in an offensive shootout with the likes of the Seattle Seahawks and the Arizona Cardinals, it’s all-out aerial warfare on both sides. Before that twoweek stretch, however, the Bills went into their home game against New England with a specific plan to kick their running game into high gear. That’s exactly what they did. Buffalo had 38 rushes for 190 yards and three touchdowns in a slugfest.

“We know what we can do with the running game,” running back Devin Singletary said. “We feel like we can do even better. But we’re going to keep taking it day by day, but I feel like (these performances) help a lot.”