With their impressive win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, the Denver Broncos made a great case to be considered one of the top contenders in the AFC. Sitting atop of the AFC West with a 6-2 record,
the Broncos are winners of five straight and arguably the hottest team in the National Football League. Even better? It seems like the Mile High advantage is back—with yesterday’s victory making it nine in a row at home.
It was a complete team effort. What could more fans ask for? It’s the decisive victory everyone was hoping for. On offense, they looked immaculate putting up 44 points on the board. They picked up right where they left off against the New York Giants in Week 7. Defensively, they took care of business and kept Dak Prescott and the Cowboys offense in check even with Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II absent for the entire second half.
While slow starts have been common during the Payton Era in September, they have performed much better in October. This season? A perfect 4-0. Against Dallas, a first drive turnover was the only major blemish in an otherwise well-executed game. It didn’t take long for Denver to hit their stride on offense thereafter, which was major focus during their week of preparation.
One key reason for Denver’s dominance on offense was the play of their offensive line. Every player up front in the trenches excelled. They had a great game not only protecting quarterback Bo Nix, but routinely leveling Cowboys defenders into the dirt in the run game. Quite simply, they were bullies paved the way for J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey to have their best individual performances of the season.
“These are the types of games that we train for. We take every single rep during the week seriously; our walk-through reps are full speed to the spot. We take advantage of every single rep that we get, we’re constantly adjusting our techniques,” stated All-Pro guard Quinn Meinerz who lauded the unit’s pride and diligence leading up to Sunday’s game.
All that hard work paid off and the results for themselves. The offense had over 425 total yards. Bo Nix had four total touchdowns and now has 52 total through 25 regular season appearances. The duo of Dobbins and Harvey accounted for nearly 200 yards on the ground and were an unstoppable force.
Harvey had himself three touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving) and showed everyone why the Broncos took him in the second round. In fact, it was the first time a rookie running back had accomplished that feat since Clinton Portis back in 2002. After notching his second 100-yard performance of the year, Dobbins is currently third in the NFL in rushing yards. He is averaging 5.3 yards per carry and has had 70 yards or more in six of eight contests to date.
The revitalization of the rushing attack in Denver will be crucial for the team’s success in the second half of the season. Not only does it keep their defense fresh by sustaining drives, but it also helps open up things in the passing game. Even though they throttled the Cowboys, some players believe and are confident Denver is poised to become even better in the second half of the season.
“We still haven’t scratched the surface of what we can do, but we kind of saw it today. I can be better and the things I can do to make more plays. We’re just going to keep getting better. To get to where we want to get to, we’ve got to keep doing it,” stated Dobbins.
For Week 9, the Broncos will kick off their November slate of games by heading on the road to take on the Houston Texans. Whilst the Cowboys defense was certainly the worst Denver will face all year; the Texans have a formidable unit that is among the league’s best in most advanced stats and metrics.
It’ll be a much tougher test than what we saw on Sunday, but if the Broncos are able to keep riding high, the sky is the limit for what they can achieve the rest of the way out.
