Javonte Williams had just gotten up from another punishing run in the second half of Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday when he turned his gaze toward Denver’s sideline. The Broncos running back moved his finger in a continuous circle, a clear message to coach Sean Payton: Let me keep spinning.
When examining potential building blocks for the Broncos after a second half Sunday in which they scored three touchdowns, the production from Williams is a good place to start. He tallied 43 of his 61 rushing yards in the second, highlighted by a shoulder-lowering blast on Raiders safety Tre’Von Moehrig that came at the end of a 17-yard run in the fourth quarter.
Williams hopped up at the end of the run with a flexing celebration.
“I’m seeing everything that people be saying,” Williams said. “I’m hearing all that. So I had to let ’em know. You feel me?”
Williams rushed for only 52 yards on 24 attempts during the first three weeks of the season, creating questions, at least externally, about whether it was time for the Broncos to turn to a different lead running back. The past two weeks have been a different story. Williams rushed for 77 yards on 16 carries in a 10-9 win against the New York Jets in Week 4 and followed it up with 111 total yards of offense in the 34-18 win against the Raiders, his largest output since a 178-yard performance against the Kansas City Chiefs during his rookie season in 2021.
“Javonte ran hard. I think you guys felt that,” Payton said. “I did. There was a little bit more stress on that room relative to the two backs knowing they were going to get a bigger workload as opposed to three total. I was really proud with how he played.”
The Broncos were without Tyler Badie, who was placed on injured reserve this week with a back injury. Rookie Audric Estimé remains on IR with an ankle injury. Rookie Blake Watson was active for the first time Sunday but played just one offensive snap. The result was more work for Williams, who had 18 touches for the second straight week. He’s totaled 191 yards of offense in that span. It’s been an important part of the Broncos establishing a rhythm in the second half the last two weeks.
To lean on Williams more, Payton said Monday, the Broncos have to improve on third down. Denver went 3-of-12 on Sunday and rank 31st this season in third-down rate (24.6 percent). But the Broncos were 3-of-7 on third down against the Raiders after an 0-of-5 start.
“You have to have snaps, and then you have to convert third downs,” Payton said. “It’s being better on third down to afford yourself the drives and to afford yourself more plays, time of possession. We’ll continue to work on that, but that (plays) a big part because if you just look and said, ‘How many handoffs did we have in the first half? How many plays did we have in the first half? Then, more importantly, third-down numbers in the first half?’ I think there’s a correlation there.”
Here are more thoughts on Denver’s offense ahead of Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers:
Nix vs. the blitz
Payton said he “absolutely” appreciated Bo Nix’s fiery demeanor during the animated sideline exchange in the third quarter Sunday between the head coach and the rookie quarterback.
“It’s the heat of the moment; it’s the game,” Payton said Monday. “It’s competitive; he’s fiery. We’re in the business of passion. We’re looking for passion and we’re looking for people who have passion for the game — not other things. I think that it’s so important to him. Again, I loved his response. We’re on to the next play and it’s nothing.”
Broncos HC Sean Payton and rookie QB Bo Nix had this exchange on the sideline after Denver punted in their last drive.
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/CxGDEA023i
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 6, 2024
Payton seemed even more pleased with how Nix set the Broncos up for second-half success against the Raiders’ pressure looks, which included superstar pass rusher Maxx Crosby roaming from one side to the other. Once the Broncos eked out a 13-10 lead at halftime, Payton told Nix to expect an increased rate of pressure looks. Nix went 6-of-9 for 76 yards and one touchdown when the Raiders blitzed, according to TruMedia, averaging 8.4 yards per attempt. He was 4-of-5 against those looks in the second half, including the 9-yard touchdown pass to Josh Reynolds.
“He’s doing a real good job with his protections and understanding where he’s short. I think he’s playing with confidence, and every week his feet make some plays for us that are important,” Payton said. ” … When he plays, you’re not on the cusp of a minus play. He has real good command of what he’s doing. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: we have to keep painting a better picture around him.”
The Broncos’ final offensive drive featured an impressive sequence for Nix. He quickly got the ball into the flat to Marvin Mims Jr. for a 7-yard gain on second-and-11. He followed that up with a 24-yard pass to Courtland Sutton up the left sideline that may have been one of his best-thrown passes of the season. Finally, he waited behind solid protection and perfectly lofted a ball to Reynolds in the back of the end zone for the 9-yard touchdown.
First TD in the orange & blue for Josh Reynolds!
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/KrY7nPVoO9
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) October 6, 2024
The final tally on the drive: 3-of-3 for 40 yards and one touchdown, his third scoring throw in the last two weeks.
Payton also noted that Nix was able to lead the Broncos to a field goal — with the help of a Raiders penalty — during a two-minute situation Sunday. The Broncos got the ball back at their 36-yard line with no timeouts and only 27 seconds left in the second quarter. After throwing incomplete to Sutton on first down, Nix hit Williams for a 3-yard gain. On third down, Nix hit rookie Troy Franklin on an in-breaking route for a 20-yard gain, then hurried to spike the ball with two seconds left. Wil Lutz missed the 59-yard field goal attempt that followed, but the Raiders were called for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty that gave Lutz another chance from 44 yards. He made it to give the Broncos a 13-10 lead at halftime.
It was the third time this season that Nix and Denver’s offense began a drive with less than two minutes left in the second quarter. All of those possessions started in Broncos’ territory and all three resulted in field goals.
“He used his feet, went through his progressions, threw the ball well, got it down the field, took the underneath throws,” Payton said of Nix. “He handled the two-minute again. That’s happened a number of times now, where we’ve been able to get some points at the end of the half. He had good command of what we were doing, and I was pleased.”
There is ample room for growth ahead for Nix. He ranks 30th out of 32 qualifying quarterbacks in EPA (expected points added) per dropback and 31st in passer rating (71.4). But Payton is clearly comfortable with the steady strides the rookie quarterback is making, several of which were on display in the second half Sunday.
Broncos slowly finding speed element?
When the Broncos drafted Mims in the second round out of Oklahoma in 2023, Payton described the wide receiver as someone who “looked like he was driving on Saturday or Sunday” when he ran routes as opposed to the “rush-hour traffic, Monday through Friday,” that other receivers seemed to be stuck in on film. When the Broncos drafted Franklin in April, Payton said the wide receiver out of Oregon had speed “you can feel.”
Sunday may have been a step toward more consistently incorporating that unique speed into Denver’s offense, a long-overdue development. Mims gained 17 yards on a jet-sweep play in the first half and helped set up a touchdown with a quick-burst, 7-yard reception in the fourth quarter, a dose of offense flash to add 54 yards worth of punt returns. Franklin caught the 20-yard pass at the end of the second quarter — the longest reception of his career — by zipping through the Las Vegas zone and adjusting to Nix’s throw on the run.
But one of the most intriguing plays for the Broncos involved both players. It was the third-and-3 play at the Las Vegas 45-yard line in the third quarter preceding the aforementioned sideline exchange. Payton and Nix said the quarterback “flipped” the play in the huddle, and there appeared to be confusion as Franklin motioned to the left side, where Mims was already lined up on the outside. The result of the play was Mims running wide open up the middle of the field and Franklin ultimately doing the same up the left sideline. The play resulted in an incompletion when Franklin sped up to catch Nix’s admittedly “overthrown” pass but couldn’t haul it in.
The concept of finding Mims and Franklin time on the field together, though, is an intriguing one the Broncos should continue to explore as they hunt for more big shots in the passing game.
Offensive line questions
Matt Peart began Sunday’s game as Denver’s sixth lineman in its jumbo tight end packages, a role he stepped into after veteran offensive lineman Quinn Bailey suffered a season-ending injury in training camp. By game’s end, Peart had also stood in at right tackle and left tackle, playing a season-high 37 offensive snaps. His extra work was largely a result of the Broncos losing Alex Palczewski to an ankle sprain in the third quarter. But he also popped over to left tackle for a brief spell when left tackle Garett Bolles was injured. Peart was replaced on the right side in those moments by undrafted rookie Frank Crum, who played the first six offensive snaps of his career.
The Broncos also lost center Luke Wattenberg to an ankle injury when he was caught in a pile during Nix’s fourth-quarter touchdown plunge. He was replaced by Alex Forsyth, who was Nix’s center at Oregon in 2022.
Payton was generally pleased with how the Broncos handled all the second-half shuffling along the offensive front.
“I’m glad we have that kind of depth and experience,” Payton said. “Certainly, Matt has more experience than Alex, but it’s kind of a little bit of the nature of our business. Guys stepped up, and right away filled in and did the job.”
Payton said the Broncos will “have to see how the week unfolds” with their offensive line depth, but it is certainly being tested. Peart, a 2020 third-round pick of the New York Giants in his fifth NFL season, is Denver’s third player to see snaps at right tackle. Mike McGlinchey, who suffered an MCL injury in his knee in Week 2, will be on injured reserve for at least one more week. Palczewski suffered a high ankle sprain Sunday, according to an NFL Network report, suggesting his status for Sunday is in doubt. The Broncos may need to rely on Crum, the rookie out of Wyoming, in a bigger role. The Broncos also have three linemen on their practice squad: offensive tackle Will Sherman and interior players Calvin Throckmorton and rookie Nick Garguilo.
However the personnel lines up, the Broncos will have time to put a plan together. Sunday, it had to come together quickly.
“It just has to happen fast,” Payton said.
(Photo of Javonte Williams: Cooper Neill / Getty Images)
