If Broncos coach Mike Shanahan were playing against his defense,
he knows what he would do: run the ball, often. "Wouldn't you?"
Shanahan said earlier this season. "If someone went in there
with 35, 40 throws, I'd think they were insane." Opposing
ballcarriers have indeed gone crazy against Denver, tearing off
15 runs of 20 or more yards, including touchdown runs of 79
yards by the Bengals' Ki-Jana Carter and 83 yards by the
Raiders' Napoleon Kaufman. Although the Broncos have stiffened
in recent weeks, they are still giving up a generous 5.0 yards
per attempt. In the last decade no Super Bowl winner has allowed
more than 4.0 yards per rush. After Sunday's 38-28 win over the
Chargers, here's how the Broncos (with three games remaining)
stacked up against the run compared with the last 10 NFL
champions.
| Year | Team | Rushes | Yards | Yards
Per
Rush | Yards
Per
Game |
| 1997 | Broncos | 296 | 1,489 | 5.0 | 114.5 |
| 1996 | Packers | 400 | 1,416 | 3.5 | 88.5 |
| 1995 | Cowboys | 442 | 1,772 | 4.0 | 110.8 |
| 1994 | 49ers | 375 | 1,338 | 3.6 | 83.6 |
| 1993 | Cowboys | 423 | 1,651 | 3.9 | 103.2 |
| 1992 | Cowboys | 345 | 1,244 | 3.6 | 77.8 |
| 1991 | Redskins | 348 | 1,346 | 3.9 | 84.1 |
| 1990 | Giants | 388 | 1,459 | 3.8 | 91.2 |
| 1989 | 49ers | 372 | 1,383 | 3.7 | 86.4 |
| 1988 | 49ers | 441 | 1,588 | 3.6 | 99.3 |
| 1987 | Redskins | 441 | 1,679 | 3.8 | 111.9 |
Issue date: December 8, 1997
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