Inside The Bills

Will Raiders turn to zone blitz vs. Tyrod?

Thus far this season, opponents of the Bills have barely blitzed Tyrod Taylor. They don’t want to send their ends up the field on a rush only to leave big gaps behind their pass rushers for Taylor to exploit with his legs. That’s why he’s seen the third-fewest blitzes by percentage on his drop backs this season.

Lowest Pct of Drop backs Facing Blitz – 2017
Eli Manning, NYG           15.9%
Ben Roethlisberger, Pit    17.7%
Tyrod Taylor, Buf          18.1% (34/188)
Andy Dalton, Cin           18.8%

Proof of Taylor’s effectiveness in defeating the blitz is visible in where he ranks for the players with the highest percentage of rushes that go for 10 yards or more. The Bills QB ranks second in the NFL with more than 18 percent of his runs going for double digits.

Highest Pct of Rushes Gaining 10+ Yards – 2017
Orleans Darkwa, NYG      19.6%
Tyrod Taylor, Buf        18.4% (7/38)
Cam Newton, Car          18.4% (9/49)
Alex Collins, Bal        16.1%
Kareem Hunt, KC          15.3%

The Raiders zone blitz looks so far this season employ only three pass rushers as they drop eight into coverage. Oakland will likely force Taylor to read coverage where they’re hoping he’ll hesitate allowing the undermanned rush to get to him. But if Taylor finds a running lane, he’ll make the Raiders. pay.