Ronnie Hillman has been the Broncos bell-cow in the ground game. (Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports)
ENGLEWOOD, Colo — Montee Ball might have a tough task getting his job back after Ronnie Hillman followed his 100-yard game against the New York Jets by averaging 5.3 yards on 14 carries in the Denver Broncos’ 42-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
Ball continues to recover from a groin strain suffered Oct. 5 against Arizona; he has not practiced since then. But the Broncos’ running game has prospered.
In the three and a half games with Ball as the primary runner, Broncos running backs gained 211 yards on 63 carries. Since then, they’ve racked up 331 yards on 70 carries, led by Hillman’s 239 in the last two and a half games.
Hillman’s 37-yard touchdown run in the third quarter Sunday turned the game into a rout and was arguably the most impressive run of a three-season career that has been checkered. He ran over one defender and past three others for the Broncos’ longest run of the season.
He tacked on a 1-yard touchdown run later in the third quarter, which allowed him to match the touchdown tally from his first two seasons. For that, he credited the maligned offensive line, which had a new right tackle as Paul Cornick started ahead of Chris Clark. The unit had one of its best games.
“Well, I got two touchdowns, so I think they’re doing a pretty good job,” Hillman said. “They came to work today and I can just be grateful for that.”
Fantasy Update:Get Hillman active in fantasy leagues if you need a top-tier running back.
