The Bills lost their top two running backs to injury last Sunday, leaving Anthony Dixon to carry the load on the ground against the Vikings.
Dixon was the first back up at Wednesday’s practice and all indications are that he will be in the same position when the Bills meet the Jets this Sunday. Dixon doesn’t think that means he’s going to be a workhorse, however. Bryce Brown is expected to be active for the first time since Buffalo traded a fourth-round pick for him and the team is expected to see what he can do as well.
“Me and Bryce are going to do it together as a combination,” Dixon said, via the Buffalo News. “That’s pretty much how we’re going to get it done. We’re going to compete this week and see who’s got a feel for the plays that [offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett] wants to run, and then on Sunday, we’re going to go with it.”
Dixon said that he wants to “be a hammer” when he gets the ball, which should cast Brown into the home run hitter role that C.J. Spiller was trying to fill before he broke his clavicle. The Jets aren’t the most forgiving defense for their first foray into a shared backfield, but, on paper, the complementary relationship looks like one that shouldn’t lead to too big a change in Buffalo’s offensive approach.