Then why are football coaches so stupid that they cannot understand that concept? One reason is that defenses make adjustments as the game goes on. Early success running can be addressed by the defense which forces the audible to a pass plays, instead. Running less is usually the result of game flow which is why there are commonly fewer runs in losing efforts. It is also a fact that when a team is behind and needs to maximize the time remaining that fewer rushing attempts are made. Lower run counts are usually a result, not a cause.