This game got off to a rough start offensively for the Jaguars.  Chad henne completed just three of his first 13 passes, the running game was sputtering, yet the defense managed to keep the Jaguars in it.  That all crumbled when the Bills realized they could go big against the Jaguars.

Spiller’s big run demoralized the Jaguars and put the game out of reach.  Source:  Timothy T. Ludwig-US PRESSWIRE

Ryan Fitzpatrick only had 112 yards, two touchdowns, and nine complete passes (of 17 attempts) the entire game.  It was up to Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller to dominate the Jaguars.  And they did.  Jackson had 109 yards on 25 attempts (4.36 yards per attempt), providing the workhorse role for the Bills.  Spiller ripped off a dominating 44 yard run to exemplify a 77 yard performance on 14 carries (5.5 yards per carry) with one touchdown.

The Jaguars just couldn’t seem to get the Bills off the field.  The Bills held the ball for 42 minutes in the game, forcing long drives and slowly punishing the defense.  With Spiller and Jackson’s big play potential the Jaguars were forced to respect every play and could neither commit entirely to stacking the box or to playing a bit more loose since the Bills’ running backs’ talents were multidimensional.

The Jaguars offense showed again that it needs Maurice Jones-Drew back.  Rashad Jennings fumbled twice en route to an uninspiring 20 yards on eight carries.  Montell Owens, traditionally the third or fourth string back, filled in and provided a lackluster 29 yard performance on the day.  Owens had a bit more spark than Jennings and averaged 4.1 yards per carry.  Unfortunately, the Jaguars fell too far behind to commit to the run with Owens.

A game that the Jaguars thought they could win turned into a route in the fourth quarter.  Fitzpatrick was conservative in his passes but managed to convert the opportunities the Bills had into points.  It wasn’t a statement win and it wasn’t a dominating performance, but the Bills used a suffocating running attack to slowly choke the Jaguars out of the game.

It was a gameplan that other teams should keep in mind when facing the Jaguars.

- Luke N. Sims

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You can also find me on Twitter @LukeNSims

1. Arian Foster/Ben Tate, Houston Texans: The Houston duo put up some big numbers in 2011 (over 2,000 yards combined) and will look to replicate that success in 2012.  The duo is tough to stop and flows better than most 1-2 punches in the NFL.
2. 

   As Jackson does, so do the Bills. Source: Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

   Fred Jackson/C.J. Spiller, Buffalo Bills: Fred Jackson is the real power behind the Bills running game, but Spiller is expected to have a big year. Both running backs averaged over five yards per attempt last year and have a good chance of repeating 1,500+ yards on the ground in 2012.

3. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars: Jones-Drew is the reigning rushing title champion and looks to do it again in 2012….if he ends his holdout.  Jones-Drew pounded away last year for 30 more attempts than anyone else, but it paid off for the Jaguars.  With the return of a proper spell back for MJD and a better passing game, he could do a lot more damage per attempt in 2012.
4. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings: Peterson was injured last year after logging 970 yards in 12 games.  It was his firs season not running for 1,200 or more yards.  He will come back with a vengeance and cement himself as a dominant runner once again in 2012.
5. Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans: CJ2K needs to get back to 2,000 yards per season.  He has the talent to do it, but his holdout and subsequent lackluster year is not laying a foundation for future success.
6. Darren McFadden, Oakland Raiders: With the departure of Michael Bush to Chicago, McFadden becomes the man in Oakland.  He runs hard and will be the focus of an offense that doesn’t want turnover-prone Carson Palmer throwing too many times.
7. Matt Forte, Chicago Bears: The Bears are worried about a Matt Forte holdout, but in Matt Forte they have a player who is something special.  Forte has skills catching the ball as well as running and makes the Bears offense more versatile whenever he is on the field.
8. Shonn Greene, New York Jets: Greene is a good runner and is the Jets workhorse when called upon.  With the addition of Tim Tebow and more gimmick plays, Greene may find that he will be used a little less and a little bit differently in 2012.
9. Reggie Bush, Miami Dolphins: Reggie Bush finally lived up to his potential in 2011 with the Dolphins.  He’ll have to do it again in 2012 – though there will be more responsibility put on him with the front office placing an emphasis on rookie Ryan Tannehill and free agent David Garrard at quarterback.
10. Benjarvus Green-Ellis, Cincinnati Bengals: Taking over after the departure of Cedric Benson, the ex-Patriot looks to emulate his success in Cincinnati.  It will be a tough task with a less high tempo passing game and no real depth behind him.
11. James Starks, Green Bay Packers: James Starks gets the spotlight after Ryan Grant leaves.  Starks is a strong runner who complements the Packers passing attack well.  But there is very little emphasis put on the running game in Green Bay.
12. 

    Donald Brown needs to prove he can be the workhorse the Colts need him to be. Source: Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE

    Donald Brown, Indianpolis Colts: The Colts finally got Brown to look like a first round draft pick in 2011.  Can he do it again with Andrew Luck leading the offense?

13. Jahvid Best/Kevin Smith, Detroit Lions:  Both of the Lions runners are gifted (So is Mikel LeShoure who is not on this list) but they have not been stellar.  The Lions need Kevin Smith to return to his former glory and they need Best to look more like he did in 2010 rather than 2011.
14. Stevan Ridley/Danny Woodhead, New England Patriots: While Woodhead and Ridley are on the bottom of this list, knowing Bill Belichick they will probably end up amassing huge chunks of yards on a run for the Super Bowl.  Woodhead is a fan favorite but is on the field mostly because he is a receiving target as well.

Check out our other roster strength analysis: QB

- Luke N. Sims

Feel free to leave comments on here or visit us at Facebook or Twitter!

You can also find me on Twitter @LukeNSims

Will Arian Foster take the Rushing Title in 2012? Source: US-Presswire

While there will inevitably be someone who comes out of nowhere to put up some big numbers like Arian Foster has done, who really has a shot at taking home the title and being the “best running back” in 2012.  For purposes of discussion, the best running back will be defined as the most yards on the ground in a season (the same qualification for running backs to win the rushing title).

So, who will it be?  A rebounding Adrian Peterson?  A no longer disgruntled Chris Johnson?  How about Ben Tate rather than Foster?  Here are the top ten from last year:

1. Maurice Jones-Drew: 1,606 yards
2. Ray Rice: 1,364 yards
3. Michael Turner: 1,340 yards
4. LeSean McCoy: 1,309 yards
5. Arian Foster: 1,224 yards
6. Frank Gore: 1,211 yards
7. Marshawn Lynch: 1,204 yards
8. Willis McGahee: 1,199 yards
9. Steven Jackson: 1,145 yards
10. Ryan Matthews, 1,091 yards

Of the top ten from last year, five were in the top ten from 2010: Maurice Jones-Drew (5th), Ray Rice (10th), Michael Turner (3rd – talk about consistent!), Arian Foster (1st), and Steven Jackson (8th).  The players who didn’t repeat?  Adrian Peterson (6th), Jamaal Charles (2nd), Chris Johnson (4th), Rashard Mendenhall (7th), and Ahmad Bradshaw (9th).

Of the five who have repeated the past two years (some longer than that), I think it is safe to say that Ray Rice, Maurice Jones-Drew, Arian Foster, and Michael Turner will be back in the top ten for 2012.  As much as I like Steven Jackson (and I like him a lot!) I don’t see him replicating his success in 2012 with a revamped offense, new head coach, and some serious wear and tear on his body (the guy averaged 20 attempts per game the past three seasons and has had injury issues).

Look for San Fran's Frank Gore to be Limited by Defenses as they make the Niners pass to beat them. Source: Jason O. Watson-US PRESSWIRE

With the assumption that four of our top ten spots will be filled, who can we expect to join them?  From last year’s top ten, I find that the most probable returns for 2012 will be Ryan Matthews and LeSean McCoy.  McCoy has proven he will be a versatile threat on every down and he is featured in a lot of plays under Andy Reid.  Matthews will be forced into taking more handoffs with the departure of wide receiver Vincent Jackson to Tampa Bay and will carry a much bigger burden of the offense.  Matthews stepped it up last year by 21 yards per game and an increase of only two more attempts per game.  The guy is finally filling LaDainian Tomlinson’s shoes.

Right now, our list is sitting with six players on it.  All of whom have been in the top ten this past year.  Who gets the final four slots?  Who will round out the top ten in the competition for the rushing title?  For that, I turn my attention to the yards per attempt statistics for last year.  Of the running backs who are already in our six defined spots, none of them are in the top ten for yards per attempt (though the statistics do include quarterbacks Cam Newton and Tim Tebow).  Of the top ten in yards per attempt, two teams (Buffalo and Carolina) have two running backs in average yards per attempt.  C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson represent Buffalo, and DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart represent Carolina – as does Cam Newton.

I expect that the loads on both sides will continue to be split amongst multiple players, though if Williams is injured again – as his history suggests he may be – I fully expect that Stewart could slip into the top ten to round out the bottom.  And with Cam Newton focusing more on passing rather than running, look for Stewart’s attempts per game to increase. Unfortunately for Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller, I don’t expect either of them to outdistance the other in 2012.  Especially with Spiller expected to have a very good year.  Both players will be successful, of this I have no doubt, but neither will be able to set such a pace that the team abandons its two-headed monster of a backfield.

Right now, this is how our top ten looks (with no rankings applied)

• Maurice Jones-Drew
• Ray Rice
• Arian Foster
• Michael Turner
• LeSean McCoy
• Ryan Matthews
• Jonathan Stewart

Nothing like a knee injury to make you want to succeed next year. Source: Geoff Burke-US PRESSWIRE

I think it is about time we took a look at Adrian Peterson.  Adrian Peterson injured himself in the 12th game of the season last year and is still working on coming back full force.  But in 12 games, he put up 970 yards.  That’s 80.8 yards per game (good enough for 8th on the list of yards per game).  Will AP be back in time for the start of the season?  Maybe.  But he’ll be back at some point.  And when he returns, he’ll be hungry.  If the guy doesn’t put up at least 1,000 yards in 2012 I’ll be shocked.  Just over 1,000 yards should be enough to put him in the top ten anyway.

See the next page to see who rounds out our top ten and who will take the rushing title!