The Denver Broncos have won 10 consecutive games and hold the No. 1 seed in the American Football Conference playoff picture with four games remaining.
At the beginning of the season, head coach Sean Payton was unhappy that the offense didn’t have an identity. Payton was hopeful that their identity would assume that of a hard-nosed running style, and they had their guy with running back J.K. Dobbins.
Even during this winning streak, Payton wanted more from his offense and wanted this unit to be more efficient running the ball. His comments seemed to work as Dobbins was fifth in rushing yards before he went down with a season-ending ankle injury.
With Dobbins out, the running game hasn’t been as effective despite rookie RJ Harvey playing well overall. The Broncos have relied heavily on quarterback Bo Nix and the passing game even before Dobbins went down, and their identity has become a pass-heavy offense.
Nix is third in the NFL in passing attempts (470) and completions (297). Despite some flaws with his footwork and accuracy (63.2 completion percentage), Payton is confident in his young quarterback’s ability to move the ball through the air. He’s also pretty good at moving the ball on the ground, averaging 4.4 yards per carry with four touchdowns.
Denver is definitely missing Dobbins, but Harvey is improving with each passing week, allowing Nix to be more and more comfortable in the pocket as his pass protection improves.
“Coach Sean Payton has often said the two things that make life easier for his second-year quarterback are a commitment to the run game and a high-end defense,” ESPN’s Jeff Legwold wrote Tuesday. “‘Those two things help your quarterback's development,’ he said. Well, 13 games into the season, the Broncos undoubtedly have one of the league's best defenses. But with a wavering commitment to the run game, Nix is now one of the league's most active throwers. He was efficient against the Raiders, connecting on 31 of 38 attempts, but he's still minus-2% in completions above expectation, per NFL Next Gen Stats.”
The Broncos do have the luxury of having one of the most prolific defenses in recent history. That unit is on pace to at least tie the all-time single-season sack record (72 sacks) and they may even surpass that number.
Being able to lean on that defense has bailed out this Broncos offense from time to time and they will continue to do so.
Denver will host the Green Bay Packers in a battle of first place teams in Week 15.