What’s interesting is this idea that the running game didn’t really matter in regards to winning was thrown around on this board a lot. No need to get into the motivations behind it, but efforts were made to say it was, I believe, “passing efficiency” that won games.
Nobody seemed to understand that while statistics don’t lie, the issue is how you read them.
A team that threatens with the run is going to make padding that much easier, as the defense has to take into account that option. The stat won’t show it, but the formation the defense was in at that time, will show it.