The Denver Broncos are going to be without running back J.K. Dobbins for the rest of the season. He was injured in Week 10 on “Thursday Night Football” on a hip drop tackle. It’s a bad beat for Dobbins, who is fifth in the league in rushing yards (772).
And seventh in the league in rushing yards per game (77.2). Speaking of hip drop tackles, though, one NFL Insider explained why the league isn’t policing them.
How J.K. Dobbins Got Injured
NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero appeared on “The Rich Eisen Show” this week. During his segment, he discussed the league’s lack of policing hip drop tackles. It’s the kind of tackle Dobbins was injured with.
He said, “Here’s the thing, the bar is really high on what is a hip drop tackle, and it needs to meet all the different criteria in terms of the graphing. But here’s what I’m telling you, though, Rich, the Zack Baun tackle on Cam Scataboo, there was no fine. The tackle on J.K. Dobbins, nothing firm. … I am not anticipating a fine in that either.”
So, that’s why you don’t see many flags in the game for hip drop tackles. Or why there wasn’t a flag specifically on the play Dobbins was injured on. It’ll be interesting to see, though, for Broncos fans, if the league changes the criteria in the offseason. Dobbins, meanwhile, was on pace for his first 1,000-plus-yard rushing season.
In Dobbins’ absence, though, expect fellow running back RJ Harvey, a 2nd round pick, a draft pick in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft, to be unleashed. The latter has six total touchdowns on 75 touches. Harvey is a positional surplus waiting in the wings.
Broncos’ head coach Sean Payton said, “You’re starting to see that (growth) with RJ (Harvey). And obviously, he’ll have more opportunities here in this game. So, yeah, he’s built when you see his frame. He’s built to last, and that’s important.”
Defensively, the Broncos are rocking it. They currently hold the No. 1 spot in PFSN’s Defense Impact, with an impact score of 94.5. Their offense, though, is ranked 14th in PFSN’s Offense Impact with an impact score of 75.3.
Elsewhere, the Broncos’ offensive game plan without Dobbins includes a heavy dose of running back Harvey. On defense, though, the Broncos must stop the Kansas City Chiefs’ defensive tackle Chris Jones.