Despite a sluggish start to the 2026 season, Denver’s newfound commitment to a balanced rushing attack behind Jonah Coleman and JK Dobbins signals a pivotal offensive shift.
The Denver Broncos got off to a brutal start in the 2026 NFL season with a 31-10 blowout loss on Monday Night Football against the Kansas City Chiefs.
In Week 2, it almost looked like Denver was going to lose again, although they managed to come back and pull out a 20-13 win in Denver against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The new-look offense has gotten off to a sluggish start. Jaylen Waddle was nowhere to be found in Week 1, although he broke out in Week 2.
The Davis Webb-led offense has been uneventful so far, and it might even lead to Sean Payton taking back play-calling duties if things don't change.
Still, it's very early, and it's not yet time for Denver to panic.
Ahead of Week 3, ESPN evaluated each NFL team and named one early surprise. For the Broncos, the surprise was Denver's commitment to the run game, and Jeff Legwold revealed why he thinks this is a real thing to watch this season.
"They had Nix under center more against Jacksonville and intended to show that element, especially in the close-out drive to end the game. Even with injuries at running back, the team will attempt to keep the offense balanced," Legwold wrote.
In Week 1, Denver didn't run the ball a lot, and there were only 12 carries by players not named Bo Nix.
In Week 2, things changed. Jonah Coleman, the rookie from Washington, had 10 carries for 39 yards and a score. JK Dobbins added 10 carries for 36 yards, and Nate Adkins and Pat Bryant also registered one carry each as Webb changed the offensive scheme a bit.
Now, in Week 1, the Broncos trailed early on, so the reliance on the passing game was fairly obvious, especially as they were trying to keep pace with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.
Still, as Legwold added, the Broncos are trying to find a "good balance" on the offense, so there seems to be a very real path to both Coleman and Dobbins getting consistent carries in each game, as long as the script and flow of the game allows them to.
Week 1 might very well have been an anomaly, although the next few weeks will show how good this Broncos team is.
Denver faces the Los Angeles Rams in Denver on Sunday Night Football, followed by road games against the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Chargers before returning home to take on the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday Night Football.
Will this rushing attack continue this way? For right now, it sure seems so.
