The Denver Broncos are having a great season and probably better than a lot of people expected.
At 6-2, the Broncos have sole possession of first place in the American Football Conference West division and despite some inconsistency with the offense, the team is finding way to win.
Denver has found a nice running back duo in veteran J.K. Dobbins and rookie RJ Harvey. Dobbins acts as the power-back and has the third-most rushing yards in the National Football League (634) and is averaging 5.3 yards per carry, fifth-best among running backs with a minimum of seven games played.
Harvey is a nice change-of-pace receiving back who has made Dobbins and Head Coach Sean Payton’s lives easier, though Harvey has poached some of Dobbins’ touchdowns recently.
Harvey may be starting to take more touches away from Dobbins because of his shiftiness in space and creating good offense in limited opportunities. He scored three total touchdowns on just eight touches in Week 8 against the Dallas Cowboys.
There was a chance that the Broncos would pursue a tight end at the Nov. 4 trade deadline due to Nate Adkins’ injury and Evan Engram’s inefficiency, but after signing veteran Marcedes Lewis, the Broncos will likely shift their focus to offensive line depth.
“Flying high atop the AFC West at 6-2, Sean Payton's Broncos probably aren't going to be doing much at the trade deadline,” ESPN’s Bill Barnwell wrote Thursday. “I thought they might look at tight end options with Nate Adkins out, but Payton went for one of the most experienced players in football when Denver signed 41-year-old tight end Marcedes Lewis this week. Lewis will take a handful of snaps as an inline tight end until Adkins returns.
“The Broncos are down a starting guard (Ben Powers) and a key offensive line reserve (Matt Peart), so although they're probably not going to land a starter to take over until Powers returns from his biceps injury, a utility guy who can serve as the sixth or seventh lineman on game day would be a nice find for GM George Paton.”
Barnwell as well as other ESPN analysts believe that first-rounder Jahdae Barron will get more reps with star cornerback Pat Surtain II out with a pectoral injury, rather than trading for a replacement.
The Broncos will travel to Houston for a tough matchup with the Texans in Week 9. Houston is a tough place to play on the road and their defense has been very stingy in recent weeks.