Broncos To Face A Team That Also Doesn’t Have Running Game

When the Denver Broncos take the field at Mile High on Thursday night to play the Seattle Seahawks, they’ll see some things that look very familiar. The Seahawks have a fierce defense, and they also lack a running game right now, so in those ways it will be like looking in the mirror.

Jerry Brewer of The Athletic did a piece about the Seahawks having no running game and “no grip,” so it’s not hard to get a grasp on his perspective. He cited a play just before halftime of Sunday’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers when the Seahawks ran a stretch play that involved a handoff to running back George Holani, who was swallowed whole by the 49ers front line and proceeded to fumble. 

The game featured a surprising amount of offense given Seattle’s defensive reputation and the fact that they were playing at home, and that turnover was one of four in the  Seahawks' 32-29 loss. 

This happens to match up exactly with Denver’s winning formula, which they barely managed to execute in their 23-17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. The Broncos defense rose up to force a pair of fourth-quarter turnovers, and Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh chipped in with a terrible decision to go for a first down in his own territory that resulted in a turnover on downs. 

On paper this makes it look like the Broncos will be able to do the same, but there’s risk here. Their own offense has been atrocious so far, and that risk will likely make this one a field position game. 

If that does happen, the Broncos have a secret weapon of sorts. Punter Jeremy Crawshaw has been brilliant when it comes to positional kicking, and he’s been consistently pinning opponents deep in their own territory. 

Denver may need that on Thursday night. They got some football luck against the Chargers, as the turnovers gave the offense a short field that resulted in a pair of field goals to win the game. Payton is still taking some serious heat about his play-calling decision, with some critics saying he made the situation worse by effectively demoting offensive coordinator Davis Webb.

The Broncos did make a bit of headway with their running game against LA, however. Coach Sean Payton took over the play calling and decided to remain balanced, and a couple of slashing runs from running back J.K. Dobbins were difference makers down the stretch.