New England Patriots: Rhamondre Stevenson, Ezekiel Elliott Crucial Roles with Buffalo Bills Key Injury

The New England Patriots have a tall task ahead in attempting to remain competitive against the Buffalo Bills in Week 7. Might they find success on offense by running the ball against a banged-up Bills' defense?

FOXBORO — If the New England Patriots are to have any success on offense against the Buffalo Bills in their Week 7 matchup at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, they must run the football strategically and effectively. 

The Pats’ mission, should they choose to accept it, may be a bit easier to accomplish with the Bills expected to be without the services of defensive tackle Ed Oliver. 

The Bills fifth-year defender will be sidelined for Sunday’s matchup with a toe injury, as announced on Friday morning by coach Sean McDermott on Buffalo radio station WGR 550. Though he has not practiced all week because of the ailment, he was present during the portion of Friday's practice open to the media,

Oliver is one of Buffalo’s key components on defense, having compiled four sacks and a team-high nine tackles for loss this season. Though he is clearly a force in pass defense, his ability to help stop the run is where he will be missed most against the Patriots. The 6-1, 288-pound tackle has bene credited with 10.5 stuffs, stifling a total of 13 yards through just six games. 

Despite suffering a 21-17 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 6 — their third such loss in as many games — New England had some success in their ground game. Offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien adjusted to the Raiders’ defensive liability by incorporating a greater amount of pre-snap motion early in the second half. Lead back Rhamondre Stevenson finished the game with 10 carries for 46 yards and one touchdown, while Ezekiel Elliott carried the ball seven times for 34 yards and his first score as a Patriot. For the first time in the past three games, New England established the run by incorporating inside zone runs into their schemes. In fact, the Pats found success on greater than 60 percent of their runs against Las Vegas.

New England Patriots Rhamondre Stevenson (38) and Mac Jones (10)  / Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports

With Oliver out for Week 7, New England will almost certainly attempt to exploit what many anticipate may be a deficiency in Buffalo’s run defense. After all, the Bills are already without linebacker Matt Milano (broken leg) and defensive tackle Daquan Jones (pectoral), each of which are injured reserve. As a result, the team ranks at No. 25 in the NFL by allowing 133.7 rushing yards per game, while sitting at No. 31 in yards-per-carry at 5.4.

Without Oliver and Jones, the Bills will likely rely on a rotation of Jordan Phillips, Tim Settle and Poona Ford at defensive tackle, with ends Greg Rousseau and A.J. Epenesa stepping up their efforts in setting the edge. The Bills also have veteran Kendal Vickers available for elevation from the practice squad. 

To counter, New England's offensive line must dedicate their run blocking alignments to open lanes for both Stevenson and Elliott to achieve second-level success against linebackers Terrel Bernard and Tyrel Dodson. If the Patriots can remain competitive in short yardage, it may help them open up significant chunk runs to keep the Bills off-balance. While it will not be easy, there is an opportunity for the Pats to be productive on the ground ... one that might have been inadvertently facilitated by Oliver's status for Week 7. 

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