on the wrong side of 30 in 2018 Eddie Yarbrough Jerseys 2019 , and it’s fair to wonder if either will return for the 2019 campaign. Below, we look at Chris Ivory’s season and see what he brought to the table for the Buffalo Bills. At 3.3 yards per carry and a definitively “not eye-popping” 385 yards for the season, it’s already not looking good for the veteran. Play 1When most people discuss Chris Ivory’s benefit to the offense, they’re talking about this. No bells, whistles or anything like that. Just straight ahead, take-what-the-defense-gives-you runs—and Ivory certainly does do that. Note at the end of the run he lowers his head to get the last little bit available. Play 2With the inevitable comparisons to LeSean McCoy’s game, we may as well get started. McCoy simply can’t churn like this. Despite a small difference in weight (about 13 pounds according to Pro Football Reference) there’s a major difference in ability to push a pile. Play 3Here we have the same idea but on a quick toss to the outside. Ivory manages to keep his legs going and the end result is a first down. Also note that Ivory isn’t too shabby speed-wise getting outside. Play 4This isn’t McCoy’s level or even particularly close, but for a player who hit 30, this isn’t a bad ability to cut and dance around. Ivory isn’t a one-dimensional back and does have a little wiggle to supplement his power game. In addition to the change of direction, he remains balanced after contact. Play 5Here’s another thing I trust Ivory to do well more than McCoy. Ivory is an aggressive blocker who consistently buys a little extra time for his quarterback. This represents Ivory’s usual blocking style, preferring to get a quick “pop” to drive his man back at the point of contact. Play 6This is actually a one-yard loss but still an excellent play to discuss several things. Regarding Ivory, that’s good balance to spin out of the first tackle and get this to a loss of one rather than several. There’s not enough lead blockers to stop the Minnesota Vikings from turning this into a stop White Jordan Mills Jerseys , which brings us to negative plays (no gain or loss).The perception this year was that Chris Ivory had far fewer negative runs than LeSean McCoy. While true, Ivory also had far fewer carries. When discussing rates, they’re shockingly similar. McCoy ran for no gain 11.2% of the time. Ivory? 11.3% of the time. McCoy lost yards 14.9% of his runs. Ivory lost yards 12.2% of his rushes. McCoy’s average loss was 2.3 yards. Ivory’s was 2.1 yards. We’ll circle back to this, but essentially both backs lost yards at nearly identical frequencies and amounts. Play 7Due to the length of this clip, we start mid-play. Ivory has leaked out of the backfield and sees Josh Allen being chased. Ivory wisely moves in the same direction and looks for the ball. Allen sees the open back and they connect for 55 yards. The only statistical measure where Ivory performed significantly better than McCoy was yards-per-catch. This reception is a good chunk of why. That’s not to sell Ivory short. He earned this and every catch, and showed he’s a threat in the passing game as well. Play 8There’s not much to discuss here, just enjoy. That’s a nice cut to break the tackle and more than adequate speed to get to the edge. Play 9Here’s Ivory’s best attributes all in one play. As he cuts through the line, he jumps to avoid being tripped and still gets to his position quickly. He makes the catch, quickly turns and starts running. He attempts to cut but is corralled. The first contact doesn’t drop him and the churning legs get just a bit more. SummarySimply due to age, the Bills would be taking a major gamble by relying on the tandem of LeSean McCoy and Chris Ivory. It would certainly be understandable if one or both didn’t return for the 2019 season. Despite his advanced NFL years and being the backup to a possible Hall of Fame talent in McCoy, there’s plenty of reason to keep Ivory around. As the clips show, he was quite versatile for the Bills—and not just in physical talent. The veteran was able to diagnose and help out in plays that a younger back might miss as they adjust to the speed of the game. There’s a valid concern about yards-per-carry Jordan Mills Jerseys 2019 , with Ivory’s in steady decline since 2015, his last over 4.0 yards per carry. With evidence strongly suggesting a major issue with the line, it’s not unreasonable to think Ivory would have had a respectable 2018 if there had been better blocking in front of him. Improvement on the offensive line should help Ivory, but the natural argument becomes justifying Ivory over McCoy or a promising youngster. Ivory’s presence would likely benefit a young player so there’s not much conflict there. If the Bills only stick with one of Ivory or McCoy, there’s actually an argument for Ivory. While age is the oft-cited problem for the position, there’s an argument that number of carries might be more important. McCoy enters the 2019 season with about 2,600 carries in his career. While Ivory is 112 days older than McCoy, he’s only accumulated about 1,300 carries. The Miami Dolphins shuffle up north to play for-pride in their regular-season finale against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. This is the second consecutive season that the Dolphins will play the Bills in the last game of the regular season when they have already been eliminated from the playoffs. While the Bills needed a win and some help to make the playoffs a year ago, Buffalo only has draft position and pride to consider this season.With one more week of the regular season to go, it’s possible that your fantasy football league enters its championship finale, as well. If your league is one where Week 17 still counts White Lorenzo Alexander Jerseys , this preview is for you.Here are some Dolphins who may drive you crazy as a fan on Sunday, but who also may help you to win your fantasy football league championship.RB Kenyan DrakeAfter watching Buffalo allow 273 rushing yards to the New England Patriots last week, Miami’s running backs must be salivating at this week’s match-up. Drake has elite speed and is a good receiver out of the backfield, and while his overall statistics don’t show it, he’s a top-notch option in the running game. Drake has 917 yards from scrimmage this season (492 rushing, 425 receiving) and nine total touchdowns. If the Bills forget their gap integrity and tackling for a second straight week, he could have a huge game. The Patriots torched Buffalo on runs off the edge, and a player with Drake’s speed could do even more damage than New England’s rushers did last week.RB Kalen BallageThe bruising rookie finally had an opportunity to shine two weeks ago, and he did not disappoint. Ballage has been stuck behind Drake and the ageless Frank Gore all year, but with Gore sidelined for the remainder of the season, Ballage set career highs in attempts (12), rushing yards (123) Lorenzo Alexander Jerseys 2019 , and touchdowns (one) in Miami’s 41-17 blowout loss at the Minnesota Vikings. His disappointing follow-up performance (four carries, ten yards) the following week against the Detroit Lions should be cause for some concern, but if the 6’2” 237-pound back has a chance to run against a battered Bills defense, he could allow the Dolphins to control the tempo of the game on Sunday.WR Kenny StillsThe veteran can operate both inside and outside, but it’s his prowess from the slot that should worry Bills coaches. With Taron Johnson on injured reserve, the Bills have relied on safety Rafael Bush to play the slot corner position. They also have used veteran linebacker Lorenzo Alexander more in coverage, a decision that the Patriots exploited often last week by isolating Julian Edelman on the venerable linebacker. While Alexander is a great football player, there’s no offensive coordinator in the league who would be opposed to him guarding a slot receiver, as it’s a definite mismatch no matter the wideout. If Alexander finds himself in man coverage on receivers again this week, expect that veteran quarterback Ryan Tannehill will be ready to exploit the match-up. Stills is the most likely beneficiary of the match-up among Miami wideouts.