After returning from last year’s serious knee injury, Denver Broncos running back Javonte Williams has seemingly struggled to return to his old form.
Williams is averaging just 3.7 yards per carry this season, a figure that was not helped by last week’s 2.3 yards per carry average against the Detroit Lions. Meanwhile, fellow Broncos running back Samaje Perine is averaging 4.9 yards per tote in 2023, a career high.
Granted, Perine has a smaller sample size — 45 carries compared to Williams’ 182 carries — and game script helps his average as well. Williams faces defenses prepared for the run. When Perine is in the game, Denver is often in a passing situation, making it easier for Perine to pick up yards on the ground.
While there are caveats to their averages, the numbers suggest that Perine has been a better runner than Williams this year (and the eye test backs that up). So will the Broncos consider giving Perine more work in the final three games of the regular season?
“Part of it is the downs we’re running him on,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said earlier this week when asked about Perine’s production. “We like to think we have all three of those guys — running backs, I’m talking about — that are capable runners. We’ll look at those spreads, and we’ll look at those calls.
“We didn’t run it as well as I thought we would [in Detroit], and quite honestly, I think that’s an area — Cleveland was the last game where I felt like we ran it really well. I think in this next three-game stretch, we’re going to have to run it better than we have.”
The outlook for Denver’s run game is bleak this week as the Broncos are set to host the New England Patriots, who allow just 84.9 rushing yards per game, the second-best average in the NFL this season. If Payton’s squad is going to make a playoff push, they’ll need to improve on the ground quickly. Perhaps a personnel change could help.
