Out to prove he’s still real McCoy
Running back realizes he has his work cut out for him when facing Broncos’ rushing defense
Ezekiel Elliott wasn’t the only premier running back in the NFL who left the field in frustration Sunday after a confounding single-digit rushing performance.
LeSean McCoy shared the pain of the Dallas Cowboys’ Elliott, whom the Broncos limited to 8 yards on nine carries. The Buffalo running back had a similar cover-your-eyes stat line in a 9-3 loss to the Panthers: 9 yards on 12 carries.
It was a stark setback after McCoy rushed for 110 yards in a season-opening win over the New York Jets the previous week. But if you’re trying to unravel the mystery of Sunday’s anemic performance, the veteran back is here to save you time.
“I just didn’t play well,” said McCoy, who is in his third season with the Bills after spending his first six in Philadelphia. “I didn’t make any plays. Plays I usually make, I didn’t make. Credit the defense. They played well, in the air and on the ground. We just played poorly, particularly myself.”
If McCoy is to bounce back Sunday, he’ll have to do so against a Broncos defense that has been the league’s stingiest against the run. Of the 30 NFL teams that have played two games (Tampa Bay and Miami had their Week 1 game postponed), none have allowed fewer rushing yards than Denver’s 104.
“Whoa,” McCoy said when asked to give his thoughts on the Broncos’ defense during a conference call Wednesday. “They’re a good group. They play well together from the secondary down to the defensive linemen. They cover well, and they’re an aggressive group. They’re a top defense for a reason.”
The low rushing output Sunday wasn’t completely unusual for McCoy, who has been prone recently to boom-or-bust performances. In his last 11 games dating to last season, he has as many games of 100 yards rushing (five) as games of fewer than 35 yards rushing.
Still, McCoy, 29, remains a dangerous weapon who is used in multiple ways in the system of Buffalo offensive coordinator Rick Dennison, who held the same position with the Broncos the previous two seasons.
“As he’s gotten older, he’s tweaked his game to keep himself current,” first-year Bills coach Sean McDermott said of McCoy. “All the great ones do that. They adjust their game as they grow and age a little bit. He’s been able to do that. It starts with his approach off the field and how he takes care of his body.”
McCoy was predictably coy when discussing how the Bills might attack the Broncos’ resurgent run defense. But he did see one way Dallas went wrong Sunday.
“The Cowboys kind of went to the passing game so early because they stopped them a couple times in the running game, and then they got down in points,” McCoy said. “The Broncos are a great group, and you have to be consistent running your plays. You’ve got to keep to your identity. You can’t change because of how the game’s going. They’ll make plays. They’re a good defense. You’ve just got to keep at it.”