Bills vs. SF 49ers: 3 weaknesses Niners must attack in Week 13
By Peter Panacy
No. 1: SF 49ers must expose Bills’ weak run defense
It’s great news the Niners have their starting running back, Raheem Mostert, back in the fray after he missed significant time with a high-ankle sprain.
San Francisco 49ers
It’s even better that Buffalo isn’t exactly prolific against the run either.
Through 12 weeks, the Bills are giving up an average of 4.7 yards per carry, which is 27th in the league. And they’ve also given up 1,426 rush yards total, which ranks 25th.
Simply put, opposing offenses can run against Buffalo.
Football Outsiders has the Bills’ run defense at No. 22 overall, which takes into account their DVOA metric of minus-3.3 percent. And in four games this season, Buffalo has allowed over 150 yards rushing with two games going over the 200-yard mark.
Getting the ball into Mostert’s hands early and often will do a number of things for the SF 49ers. First, it’ll help keep Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs and the Bills offense off the field as much as possible. Second, it’ll limit the self-inflicted damage quarterback Nick Mullens is prone to do when under center.
Asking Mullens to do less is probably the right move here.
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The Niners and Bills kick off their Monday Night Football contest on Dec. 7 at 8:15 p.m.