Can the Broncos run on the Bills?

With the matchup against the 8-3 Minnesota Vikings behind them, the Broncos now face off against the 7-3 Buffalo Bills. Locked behind the New England Patriots in the AFC East, Josh Allen and company are chasing every victory they can to secure the 5th seed.

To get a better idea of the looming matchup, I reached out to Corey Giavovelli of Buffalo Rumblings. Our conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.

1st and 10

What is the view among Bills fans of this year’s team? I feel as though we haven’t really heard much about them with New England, Baltimore, and Houston eating up all the AFC airtime.

We feel okay about the team but know there is a way to go before we are fully confident. Right now we realize that we are a good team taking advantage of an easy schedule but the offense needs to be better. Buffalo has a great defense that can hold the opponents to minimal points but the offense needs to do a better job at playing a complete game. They did a lot better against Miami last week but we want to see some consistency going the rest of the season. This team can make some noise if they play okay in all three phases but we have yet to see a game where that is the case.

2nd and 8

Where do you like Buffalo’s matchups going into this game with the Broncos?

It’s not so much a matchup I like but the matchup the Bills have to win is the one in the trenches. The running game has to get going for the team because Denver is one of the best defenses in passing yards per game. If Buffalo isn’t getting that push up front and find themselves in third and long situations it will be a rough afternoon. Running back Devin Singletary can make some plays out of the backfield but he needs holes to go through.

3rd and 4

Are there any matchups heading into the game where the Broncos’ concern you?

We are very concerned with the matchup of Cody Ford against Von Miller. Everyone knows that if he gets the chance, Miller can be a game changer forcing sacks and turnovers. Ford has been playing well as a rookie but he still has a ways to go. Usually he rotates snaps with Ty Nsekhe, but the veteran got injured last week and will probably be doubtful for this weekend.

4th and inches

Can you give me a player or two who could make the difference for the Bills?

I am going with Andre Roberts in the return game actually. He is number one in the league averaging just over thirty yards on kickoffs and he has been getting closer and closer to breaking one loose for six. He doesn’t necessarily have to score this week but I believe he can have an impact giving the offense a short field to work with. Occasionally he also lines up at receiver in the passing game so you may even see him making a play vertically down the field.

Extra Point

How could the Broncos spring an upset?

The Bills defense is at its weakest when they are unable to stop the run. They suffered against the Eagles a couple weeks ago but cleared up some of it against Miami. I say some because they used a lot of run blitz concepts to stuff the run all day long. If Denver is able to identify the blitzes and have play action set up to counter it we can see some big plays taking place due to the lack of defenders in coverage.