Establishing the running game
Kyler Murray was exceptional in establishing the rushing attack against Miami, galloping for 106 yards and a rushing touchdown. Problem is, Chase Edmonds failed to step up and make an impact. While Edmonds rushed for a respectable 70 yards, he averaged a meager 2.8 yards per carry.
Those numbers won’t strike fear in opposing defenses. Touted by many as a potential successor to incumbent featured back Kenyan Drake, Edmonds all but proved he isn’t ready to take over the role.
Instead, his lack of effective running forced the Cardinals to lean on Murray to get anything going in the rushing attack. The good news is that Drake was limited in practice on Thursday, so perhaps he will be ready to go come Sunday.
But even if Drake is ready to play, don’t expect him to be operating at 100 percent. Look for Edmonds to carry the rock often on Sunday and keep the RB1 role through at least week ten. That means Edmonds must find a way to force defenses to respect more than just Kyler Murray in the running game.
If not, the Bills can easily key on Murray. And their defense has the talent to make life miserable for Murray and company if they are forced to go one-dimensional on Sunday because of ineffective running from Edmonds.