Portis and the Denver System Revisited

[joecrisp]

Denver's rushing performance over the past two weeks may just be a hiccup, or it could be a sign that defenses are finally figuring out how to stop them. We all know now that Jacksonville has a great defense, so you'd expect a dropoff in the running game against them. But the Chargers? Well, actually their run defense is pretty stout, too. They're ranked 7th in rushing yards per game, and tied for 5th in the league at 3.2 yards allowed per carry.

So maybe it's just a case of facing two solid run defenses in consecutive weeks, or maybe there is something to be said for the effect of a great runningback and a great O-line coach on the success of a rushing attack. This is an argument that will take a couple of years to prove, one way or another. However, if Griffin remains healthy and fails to reach 1,000 yards on the season, I think it's safe to say that Denver's rushing attack lost something when it parted with Portis and Alex Gibbs.