The Denver Broncos finally got the chance to enjoy the bye week.
After seven games in 39 days, and winning all seven, the Broncos received a mini-bye before hosting and beating the Kansas City Chiefs. Now,
coming off the full bye week, Denver is hopefully fully recharged and about to get some players back from injury. For those keeping track at home, the Broncos (9-2) have played just one game in the last 23 days.
Up next for Denver is the host Washington Commanders (3-8) on Sunday Night Football.
FanDuel Sportsbook currently lists the Broncos as 6.5-point favorites. The total sits at over/under 43.5 points.
Offensive Rankings
Denver: Fourteenth in total offense (335.3 yards per game), 10th in rushing offense (122.3 YPG), 17th in passing offense (213.0 YPG), tied for 15th in scoring offense (23.4 points per game).
Washington: Seventeenth in total offense (330.2 yards per game), fifth in rushing offense (138.5 YPG), 24th in passing offense (191.6 YPG), 23rd in scoring offense (21.5 points per game).
Defensive Rankings
Denver: Third in total defense (274.4 yards per game), third in rushing defense (88.5 YPG), sixth in passing defense (185.8 YPG), third in scoring defense (17.5 points per game).
Washington: thirty-first in total defense (387.0 yards per game), 27th in rushing defense (137.5 YPG), 29th in passing defense (249.5 YPG), 28th in scoring defense (26.9 points per game).
Here are the MHR staff’s keys to Sunday night’s game.
No bye-week lag
The Broncos are on an eight-game winning streak. They sit atop the AFC West standings and are poised to win their first division title since 2015. They’re also in contention for the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs. None of that matters. What matters is ensuring Denver plays its best, and everyone does their job on Sunday night. No looking past the Commanders due to their 3-8 record. Take the game seriously and don’t have a bye-week lag. The Broncos should aim to play their best game to date. — Ian St. Clair
Run, run, run
Washington has the sixth-worst run defense in the league, giving up an average of 137.5 yards per game. This would be a great week to see what kind of offense you can run with RJ Harvey at the forefront of things. Hopefully, with this kind of defense, Payton can test out different looks that he thinks would be ideal for a guy like Harvey. Or maybe some more sets with both him and Jaleel McLaughlin or Marvin Mims in the backfield. Heck, I want to see if Adam Prentice can manage two or three yards a carry on short-distance downs. And what better way to get the offense back in a rhythm after the bye than to pound that rock? — Ross Allen
Dial up the heat on Marcus Mariota
Coming off their bye week, the Broncos should be well-rested and prepared to execute at a high level. Jayden Daniels isn’t expected to play, which means Marcus Mariota will take the reins of their offense once again. In the five games he has seen significant playing time, he is averaging a turnover a game. I’d like to see the Broncos’ pass rush rattle Mariota and help deliver some turnovers that can give Denver’s offense a chance to get points on the board. — Christopher Hart
Get Bo Nix started early
Find a way to help Nix find success early and then build on that throughout the game. The knock on Nix has been the slow starts, but the Commanders could be the remedy to that. — Adam Malnati
Get Marvin Mims involved in the offense
Mims is just too explosive to have him making those big plays on special teams. Get him involved on offense and start putting some stress on these pass defenses. — Tim Lynch
