Greg Cosell’s SB 50 Preview: Will Denver be able to run the ball?
The Denver Broncos are going to have to be patient with the running game in Super Bowl 50. And they’ll need to find a way to run it more effectively than they did against the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game.
The Patriots were very effective stopping Denver’s run game. They mostly used a “reduced front,” with a defensive tackle over the center and two more linemen on the outside of the guards. Denver just couldn’t beat it.
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Our first example is a 1-yard loss by Ronnie Hillman, when linebacker Jamie Collins got into the backfield for the stop.
Later in the same drive, C.J. Anderson was stuffed for a 2-yard run in which he had nowhere to go.
The Broncos tried using outside zone and toss sweeps to beat the reduced front. Here’s a toss to Anderson that was stopped for just 3 yards. He had nowhere to go on the outside.
There weren’t many examples of successful runs for the Broncos, but this was one. Early in the fourth quarter, Anderson broke a 30-yard run on third-and-1. it came with seven offensive linemen on the field, with guard Max Garcia as the offset fullback. The power blocking was exceptional, and there was a huge hole for Anderson.
That was pretty much it for the running game though. Aside from that 30-yard run, Hillman and Anderson combined to gain 58 yards on 26 carries.
Denver struggled to run the whole game even though the Patriots played nearly the entire game in nickel, dime or even with seven defensive backs. The Panthers won’t do that — they haven’t played a single snap of dime defense with six defensive backs all season — but they could take some notes from how the Patriots’ reduced front shut down Denver’s running game. A power scheme works better against that reduced front than the zone rushing attack that Broncos coach Gary Kubiak prefers.
The Panthers have a very good run defense. It starts with their two big tackles, Kawann Short and Star Lotulelei, who are great run defenders. Then it becomes hard to outflank the Panthers because their linebackers are so good and fast. Luke Kuechly is phenomenal at play recognition and seeing what’s in front of him. Thomas Davis is great at shooting gaps and he’s very instinctual as well. It’s a hard defense to beat, especially on the ground.
Davis is a key. He has a broken arm, and it appears he will play in Super Bowl 50. He is coming off a game in which he dominated in the first half before his injury. He was great at both shooting gaps and working through traffic to find the ball. Here’s a play in which he shot through the gap and instantly stuffed David Johnson for a loss.
If Davis is not effective with his injury (or if he can’t play), that would be a tough blow to the Panthers defense, especially in run defense.
The Broncos have to figure out a way to consistently run the ball. They have to be patient with it. They won’t want Peyton Manning dropping back 40 times in this game. It won’t be easy, because the Panthers are a tough defense to run against.
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NFL analyst and NFL Films senior producer Greg Cosell watches as much NFL game film as anyone. Throughout the season, Cosell will join Shutdown Corner to share his observations on the teams, schemes and personnel from around the league.
