TURNAROUND: Denver Broncos RUN GAME Should Be FOCUS of the Bye Week

TURNAROUND: Denver Broncos RUN GAME Should Be FOCUS of the Bye Week

The Denver Broncos are nine and two going into the bye-week and the biggest focus should be on the Broncos run game for the second half stretch. We’ll break it all down on today’s episode of the show. You are Locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast, part of the Locked On podcast network. Your team every day. What’s up, Broncos country? Welcome to another episode of Locked On Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast, part of the Locked On podcast network, now the number one sports podcast network in the country. And that’s all thanks to all you everydayers out there in Broncos country. Thanks for tuning in, making us your first listen, however you choose to do so. I’m Cody Roar, credential Broncos media member for Mile High Sports. You can check out my written work over there daily milehighports.com. I’m joined as always by Sarah Bettinger, the longtime site expert and voice of Broncos country where you can check out his written work over there predominantly Orange.com. We got a lot to break down on today’s episode of the show. And we’re going to talk about the byee this week. We’re going into it. There’s no byee blues, but there’s a lot to talk about as to what the Broncos can do to get better for the second half stretch of the schedule. We’ll tell you why the Broncos running game needs to be the main focus for the Broncos offense going into things, especially with JK Dobbins missing the remainder of the season with the Liz Frank injury. Plus, we’ll go through the Broncos getting some major reinforcements from the injury side of things coming out of the bye-week potentially against the Washington Commanders. And then we’ll talk about why the red zone offense has to be an area the Broncos certainly have to improve going into the second half stretch of the schedule. Get all on today’s episode show brought to you by our friends over there at FanDuel. Right now, new customers can bet just $5 and if your bet wins, you’ll get $300 in bonus bets that you can use all throughout the app. Sir, the by-week is here, my friend. And look, this is a time for reflection. Players are going to step back and and take a little bit of a break and get away. The coaches are not. The coaches are continuing to work here for the Broncos this week, trying to piece together what they can do to improve. I think the run game here has to be the major focal point for Shawn Payeyton and his staff going into this week’s buy. Well, it’s going to be one of those areas of the team that’s going to require kind of the most focus and attention for the personnel, right? Obviously, JK Dobbins is out for the season. And so, you now have to make a significant adjustment as that was your number one back. He was on pace for over a thousand yards rushing. He’d been outstanding for the Broncos after signing a free agent deal kind of late in the offseason process. And so now what you’re dealing with is not, hey, we got to fix a bad running game, but we now have to switch every personnel piece that we have. And so we’ll see if that includes the Broncos maybe going after another free agent signing or poaching somebody off of a practice squad somewhere else, which I think is very much a possibility at this point. But what you saw from JK Dobbins this year was the ability to grind out those difficult yards to play all three downs to take over a drive with the running game when you desperately needed it. So now that’s up to RJ Harvey. It’s up to Jalil Mclofflin. And against the Chiefs, we didn’t see that necessarily take over drive from the running game, but I think we did see some nice work from those guys between the tackles. I was encouraged by the running game. I know Shawn Payeyton said after the game, Cody, that he thought the running game was good and uh you know what what else is he going to say at that point, right? But at the same time, there’s plenty to work on here in the bye-week. I think it was a good confidence builder though for R.J. Harvey and Jal Mclofflin. Yeah, and and obviously against Kansas City, RJ Harvey had 11 carries in this game. Jalim Mclofflin had six, including the the touchdown run that he certainly had punched in. That was big. The Broncos offensive line getting that extra push. I think so much of this s too when we look at the run game is how do you adjust, you know, to life after JK Dobbins this year. He’s not going to be able to play. Look, I know there was a report that said if the Broncos somehow make it to the Super Bowl, he’ll be ready to go. But, I mean, we’re we’re not even at that point just yet. So, we know he’s going to miss significant time, a majority, pretty much the entire regular season. And if there is a chance that Denver gets there, maybe we’ll see him in Santa Clara. But the Broncos can’t bank on that because you have to do everything from now up until the point till you get to the playoffs to make sure that the run game is something that can support your team here going forward. And I felt like against Kansas City, especially I’d say in that second half, there were just moments. It wasn’t big runs, but there were moments here and there where it’s, hey, you get skinny on a four- yard run there and you pick up enough for a first down on a, you know, second and short, third and short. You will take that. I mean, even on that last drive that the Broncos had in the fourth quarter, there were a couple of runs where it’s like, hey, we’re going to get three or four here now gives us some favorable field position versus being backwards. I think the biggest key here is, do the Broncos have a back on the roster right now that has the same level of patience as a guy like JK Dobbins did? Because when the Broncos would pull and JK’s following, you would see JK just how patient he was behind his blocker and then he’d hesitate for a minute, see where the hole is, and then he get north south quick. Whereas I feel like the scheme so far with RJ Harvey has been, hey, if we’re running the ball with RJ, it’s to the outside. It’s a quick pitch. It’s a toss. It’s a stretch play. And there were times where they certainly tried to run it inside, but it just wasn’t all there yet. And that could be a combination of blocking scheme. We know Denver’s implemented that outside zone, but they also have a gap blocking scheme that they rely on. It depends on the front that they face. I’m just curious if the Broncos are willing to invest in developing RJ in this department more. Or is that where Jal Mclofflin is? Because Jal is a guy who sees the whole bang north south. That’s what I loved on Sunday. How do you feel about this running back room right now as Denver goes into the bye-week for the second half stretch? What is your level of confidence in this group collectively? I think it’s right around like a six out of 10, right? Because we need to see what RJ Harvey can do with the increased workload. But to me, I mean, you picked the guy in the second round, right? You use the second round draft selection to bring him in, not just believing, like Shawn Peyton has said multiple times, hey, we didn’t necessarily draft him for his pass catching abilities. UCF didn’t exactly use him as a passcatching weapon. I mean, a couple of routes, yes, but as a weapon in the passing game, no. They drafted him for his ability to run the ball. They drafted him for his vision, his quickness, his footwork, all those sorts of things that they love about him. Change of direction, the explosives. And we’ve seen those things at times this season. So, I feel confident in the idea of RJ Harvey. I feel confident in the idea of Jalil Mclofflin hopefully returning to that 2023 form that we saw from him where he was busting off like what 5.4 yards per carry or something around that. That’s the back that you need. And it’s just a matter of now which guy can you trust on all three downs because against a team like Steve Spagnolo’s Chiefs defense, you’re asking a lot of a rookie running back to pick up blitzers, to recognize different things at the line of scrimmage. And you get into that mode of are you doing too much thinking and not enough doing. So that’s the confidence meter staying around a six for me. Cody, I don’t think there’s really anybody out there that would move the needle so much for the Broncos, but there’s got to be somebody out there that can handle pass protection, short yardage duties, goal line duties, because as we’re going to talk about today, that tight red zone is another area where the Broncos need some help. And that’s where the run game can also benefit and open everything up. I we’ve said it all all season long, the run game is the key to this offense really opening things up and being more consistent, more dangerous versus them just kind of being this up and down roller coaster here. But I think, you know, with with when JK Dobbins was healthy, that’s where you could invest in the patience of the development process like maybe in past pro with a guy like RJ Harvey, it’s like, hey, he’s learning. He’s getting reps behind JK Dobbins. Whereas now, it’s almost kind of like we have no choice but to kind of thrust you into the fire here. You’re going to have to do this. And look, I I know Sean is very very keen on saying, “Hey, I’m not going to put you in in situations all the time where, you know, you’re going to be at a disadvantage.” He said, “But there are going to be the times where you maybe have to to block a guy like uh Fred Warner, you know, just the example that he threw out there early on in training camp there. You’re going to have to have some one-on- ones against some of these guys here.” And I I just think the experience factor, the more reps he’s going to get, I think will benefit. But you also have to make sure like when Tyler Bedet, once again, when Beday came in the game, Sarah, the Broncos did not run the ball. they threw it. So, there’s a tendency there. You don’t want that tendency to develop as well with Jim Mclofflin. You got to be able to do both with all of these backs. I’d say all three. Jamal Williams is a free agent. And I’m not saying Jamal Williams would come in and completely change the game here. But you get a veteran guy for that room that can maybe help while maybe not being the lead guy. I mean, you bring in Mercedes Lewis. Why not bring in a veteran guy like Jamal Williams for this running back room just to see where things are at? Think that’s an interesting question to pose out here on today’s episode of the show here. But Broncos country, make sure you share your thoughts with us here on today’s episode of the show. Your thoughts on the Broncos running back room. What’s your level of confidence in it right now post JK Dobbins? And where do you think that the Broncos can get better in this department? Make sure you let us know here on today’s episode of the show. But coming up next, Broncos country. Denver’s going into the bye-week. They were banged up missing a couple of guys for Sunday’s game against KC, but they could be getting those guys back, including Patrick Certana second. Help is on the way, dear. We’ll go through all that here on today’s episode of the show. 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If you’re not already, hit subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and on YouTube. Cody, let’s talk about the reinforcements that could be on the way for this Denver Broncos team. Obviously, the headliner would have to be Pat Certant, right? I mean, you just beat the Chiefs without him, as well as a number of other guys, but getting Pat Certan back, that can’t be overstated in any way. I think you and I both agreed, hey, the Broncos have the depth to sustain while he’s out, but obviously the defense takes on a completely different complexion when he’s on the field. Yeah. And it’s I think it’s crazy too just the aftermath of the Kansas City game thinking that the Broncos without PS2 without Alex Singleton without Jonah Ellis still beat the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes and all the weapons that they had coming into the game that we had highlighted. That’s crazy. Uh that would be great to get Pat Certan back in this game. And look, we all know the Washington Commanders, they’re banged up quarterbacks, receivers, you name it. Defense, this is one banged up football team that Denver’s going to be facing. My question here, Sarah, it would be so nice to have Pat back, but if you could get Pat, let’s say maybe an extra week of rest. Is this the week to do it? Look, you get the bye-week this week. I’m not trying to say, hey, take advantage of the by-week. We didn’t know the initial timeline for sure. Like, he’s making great progress in his recovery. IR was a possibility at some point there, but it would cause him to miss four total games, and the by-week doesn’t count toward that. Is this maybe one of those games you just see how he’s feeling, you see where he’s at. If he’s not 100% coming out of the by getting ready for that commanders game, is this a week as well that you maybe still sit Pat and bring him back for the Raiders where he can face off against Brock Bowers? I think you have the confidence to do so because of the way that Chris Abrams drain has played because of the game that Jaquin McMillan just played. I mean, Jade Baron playing extended snaps. He’s looked good out there as well, Cody. So, I think you can have the confidence to do that if you have any sort of reservation whatsoever about Pat being 100%. There’s no reason to risk him being less than 100% the rest of this season just so you can get him out there for this Commander game, right? The Broncos are not in must-win mode right now. Although, that doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s no urgency, right? I mean, this is part of the reason why they didn’t put Pat on injured reserve because they knew, hey, we want to bring him back as early as we possibly can without being reckless with his health. So, you have the luxury at this point because of the way Chris Abrams drain is playing and because of the record that you have and the fact that you’re not going to lose any ground really, I mean, this next week. So, it’s great for the Broncos to be in this situation. Selfishly, everybody wants to see PS2 back out there, but more than having him out there for the Commanders game, you want him out there for the postseason run. That’s a much bigger deal at this point. Yeah. And for them to manage without him the way that they have, I mean, it is impressive. They’ve faced some really good receivers. They faced Nico Collins, you know, face off against Brock Bowers, who prior to Denver facing off against him, what, he had 12 catches, over 130 something yards, and three touchdowns, and he didn’t really have anything against the Broncos in obviously their Thursday night football matchup. Then you face a very good receiving core that has weapons across the board in Kansas City and you hold your own here. I I think that Denver is going to evaluate this smartly. Look, Jonah Ellis as well. I don’t think that there’s a rush here. It’s been unfortunate. Jonah’s been so good this year. It’s been unfortunate he’s been dealing with the injuries obviously the shoulder, the rib, now the hamstring in Thursday night football. Did not play in this game against Kansas City. Q Robinson has done a good job stepping up. Do the Broncos need to rush Jonah back? No, I don’t think they do. But once again, it’s it’s one of these situations where these guys also need to start building a head of steam. Like younger players like Jonah Ellis, you know what you’re getting from Pat Certan when he comes back and he’s fully healthy. You know exactly what he brings to the table. I’m not saying that you don’t with Jonah Ellis, but what I do think is that a younger player like him really needs the reps to get that full head of steam and be a part of that rotation, right? So, I would not say, “Hey, rush him back.” But I would say he probably the urgency to get him back on the field is maybe a bit more so than PS2 just because I think he needs those reps out there and we want him to get those reps. He upgrades special teams. He upgrades your pass rush rotation. He upgrades a lot of different areas of this team. So, I want to see Jonah Ellis back selfishly because he’s so talented and he’s so good at what he does that it just adds depth and layers to this Denver Broncos front seven. Nate Atkins is also a name that could be set to return here very soon. He never landed on injured reserve either, which was a sign. He did participate in team stretch this past week. Did not participate in practice in indie or obviously team drills. They’ve already elevated Mercedes Lewis for the three a loted games that he gets on the practice squad here. So, if they were still planning on keeping Mercedes around, they would have to promote him essentially to the 53man roster. I look at where the Broncos roster is at right now, Sarah, and it’s tough from the shuffling standpoint because of guys that they have already elevated a multiple number of times from the practice squad, but now you’ve got guys that are coming back. I mean, what was it? Garrett Wallow just came back off of IR. They activated him. He’s on the 53. I can’t remember if they’ve already used three practice squad elevations for him when he was on that initially this season. I can’t recall off the top of my head, but with Denver’s linebacker depth where it’s at, like I’m very curious to see what the roster shuffling over the next week and a half is going to look like with Mercedes Lewis, with obviously Alex Singleton’s return, Nate Atkins return. These guys are already on the 53, which is good news here. But some other guys that you mentioned, Drew Sanders, who’s been on the team sidefield for the last 3 weeks, that could mean that he could be close to returning as well. And if he’s going to come to the active roster, then you’d have to make a corresponding roster move. This is an interesting spot for Denver to be at when you talk about maybe who they have to release off the 53 to make way for some of these guys to return. Luckily, you don’t have to worry about that with Singleton, who I think the expectation it was relayed on the CBS broadcast. He’ll be back after the by-week, which would certainly be a good sign. Yeah, very good sign for him obviously coming back as quickly as possible after having that tumor removed. I I’m really excited to see how he kind of responds to that and the team we seen how they responded to it as well. But it’s it’s a good problem to have at this time of year. I think the injury report against the Chiefs was about as extensive as we’ve seen for the Broncos under Shawn Payeyton, right? because this training staff has done such a good job of keeping these guys on the field, keeping the injury report clean. I think you and I even had a a a laugh last year late in the season where there was nobody on the injury report at some point in December. I can’t remember what game it was for, but that’s where what we’ve come to expect a little bit from the Broncos here. So, seeing against the Chiefs, the team banged up and and struggling a little bit with the injury bug, that’s, you know, abnormal. So now you’re getting all these reinforcements back and you have good problems. You have the problem of who’s who’s going to actually be on the roster. I mean, you can shuffle Sam Ellinger up and down, Garrett Wallow. I don’t know if Reese Taylor’s going to stay on the 53 once Pat Certan comes back. So this is all kind of there’s moving parts, but you’re going to upgrade the roster, which is a huge deal for a team that’s already won eight straight games and is in first place at nine and two. And they also, I forgot, they have Jiren Christian who they signed off the Dallas Cowboys practice squad. He’s on the 53man roster. He was a game day inactive against the Chiefs. So, probably some shuffling on the back end portion of the roster here for Denver saying, “Hey, this is where we need guys.” And and look, we didn’t even get a chance to talk about it, but Trent Sherfield getting released last Friday after Lil Jordan Humphrey ultimately signed to the team. We got to see LJH back into the mix here. So, uh, very curious to see how the Broncos approach some roster shuffling that’s expected over the next week, week and a half here as they prepare for the Washington Commanders, which that game is staying on prime time, folks. It’s not getting flexed out. So, Sunday Night Football is when you’re going to see the Broncos next against the Commanders, but Broncos country is the bye-week is here. We’ve talked so much about what the coaching staff needs to do to get this team to be in a better position going forward, some areas they can improve on. We’ll talk about the Broncos red zone offense and why the defense getting more takeaways will be key if the Broncos are going to make a deep playoff push. You’ll get that here on today’s episode of the show. Today’s show is brought to you by our friends over there at Pelaton. Look folks, it’s time to break through the busiest time of the year with a brand new Pelaton crossraining tread plus that’s powered by Pelaton IQ. It’s Pelaton’s most elevated technology and equipment yet that gives you real-time guidance and it gives you endless ways to move. 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The Broncos have a lot to improve on here, sitting at 9 and2 as they go into the by-week here. And if they’re going to take the next step, if they’re going to make a big push for the playoffs and in the playoffs, they have to get better in the red zone. Broncos country, thanks once again for tuning in, making us your first listen, however you choose to do so. We appreciate you so much here. The red zone offense there as of late for Denver, it has kind of been up and down. There’s been times, too, when you look at it. And Bone Knicks a few weeks ago had a had a funny response were saying, you know, they were asked about the red zone. and he’s like, you know, sometimes we just like to score from further out. We like to make it a little harder to score from 60 plus. That way we can get off the field with some big explosive plays. But I I I in a serious note here, Denver’s red zone offense simply has to be better because there are times where they’re getting prime field position because of special teams. Marvin Mim 70-yard return set them up beautifully on Sunday against the Chiefs. Yes, you come away with three. You always want to come away with points, but you got to find a way instead of three, you need to find a way to get seven. Absolutely. And since that Dallas Cowboys game, the Broncos are two of nine in their red zone appearances. So, nine red zone appearances in three games is, you know, a little on the low end anyway, but like you said, sometimes they like to score from further out, so it’s not the end of the world, but two of nine is not good. And this is a team, the Broncos this year, Cody, they have been actually quite good in the red zone overall. This season they rank 15th at a 58.3 red zone success rate. So they are scoring touchdowns in the red zone on the whole this season, but lately it’s been a struggle and there’s factors to that, right? Obviously you’ve had injuries on the offensive side of the ball. You went up against the number one defense in the Houston Texans. You went up against I think the number three or four defense this past weekend in the Kansas City Chiefs. And both of those defenses are are stingy and they’re tough to score against regardless of how close or how far away you are. So yeah, getting to the red zone is half the battle, but we saw against the Chiefs like Marvin Mim sets you up perfectly and you have a chance to to put six points on the board. And to take advantage of a great return, you have to do that as the offense. And the Broncos tried to force feed the running game there, which I think fans would have been upset if they tried to force feed the passing game. you give the ball twice to RJ Harvey, he can’t score. Then the next play Bo Nicks can’t hit the receiver for a touchdown. So, it’s just that’s the frustrating aspect of it is that you don’t always get a mulligan through a penalty. You’re not always going to be just one or two yards away. You have to find ways to score in the red zone. This is a an area that the team could definitely clean up during the by-week. I will say I was not a fan of Shawn Peyton’s decision for the running back throwback to Bo Nicks. uh on that game. We talk about play calling in the red zone at times. I mean, the red zone, people don’t realize. Look, they I think a lot of people there’s a misconception about the red zone. Like, you’re so close to the end zone, it should be easier to score. That is the hardest place to score in the NFL because defenses and how they play, they tighten up. They condense the field and it’s just spots where you have almost have to be perfect in a sense. Like, if you can run the ball, you make it easier, right? But if you can’t run the ball in the red zone and now you have to pass, it plays into the hands of defenses that can just say, “Hey, we’re going to sit here. We’re going to protect the pylon and we’re not going to let anything get there.” That I think is where the approach has. And and also another reason I didn’t like the throwback to Bo Nicks. Look, it would have been great to have Bo Knicks have a a receiving touchdown. Once again, Moss, a Chiefs defender in that situation, you know, we know RJ’s the former quarterback. That was a ball that should have been picked. But more importantly, like if you’re a defensive player, Sarah, I don’t know why the Chiefs didn’t think of this. If Bo Nicks is going for that pass and it it’s hitting his hands, that’s your perfect opportunity to deliver a hard shot on your QB. If that would have happened and Bo would have taken a shot and would have gotten banged up, I would have been so angry at Shawn Peyton for that. Like stuff like that is a little unnecessary. But I understand the thinking behind it. Look, if it works, nobody’s complaining. But it didn’t work. And you know, if there’s an injury that happens, like you have no one to blame but the play caller in that situation. So, I just wish that they would be smarter there in the red zone. It certainly has been a problem for them at times this season. And if the run game can get going, I guarantee you that red zone stuff is going to open up a little bit more here. Um, and maybe even getting Jalil invol involved because remember last year, Sarah, like Jalil in the red zone, anytime the Broncos were down there, he could run it. He could make guys miss in space, but on top of that, he’s also a guy to the backfield that Bo Knicks went to quite a bit last season. So, I’m curious to see how the Broncos approach here in the red zone works. Defensively, let’s switch gears. The defense has been stellar. They’ve been phenomenal. You name it, like anything you want to historic. 49 sacks so far through 11 weeks. They’re on pace to still break the Chicago Bears record set in 1984 there with 72. Denver had 63 last year. They’re they’re on pace to shatter that pretty quickly here. The only I’d say I I don’t even want to call it a weakness. I’d say the glaring like blemish of this Broncos defense so far has been the fact that they’ve been able to get stops, but they haven’t been able to generate a lot of takeaways, right? Jaquin McMillan obviously got that going. He had the takeaway against Pat Patrick Mahomes. Jade Baron should have had a pick six, which I felt like the tickytac illegal contact call negated that. But Denver’s got to find ways to get more takeaways in this game versus getting stops. They absolutely do. I mean, they’re one of the I think they’re one of the only teams that still is in single digits in terms of takeaways this season. And that’s one of them was a special teams takeaway, right? So, even the defense has won less than it looks like on paper. So, it doesn’t help that officials are taking away takeaways either. I know that they had the forced fumble that was taken away. Wasn’t that against the Chargers or I don’t remember when that was exactly, but u the the fumble that was taken away. Now, you had a pick six taken away. So, it doesn’t help that they’re wiping some of these takeaways off the board either. But I’m shocked, Cody, that this Broncos pass rush is getting home so much and somehow the ball is not popping out of the quarterback’s hands. That was such a hallmark of that 2015 defense. They were, I mean, constantly forcing turnovers with the pass rush. And so, I I’d be excited to see this team popping the ball loose on the quarterback. Vance Joseph talked about it like turnovers, they start to come in bunches, right? And I just think it’s only a matter of time before that does start to happen. The pass rushers are going to start popping the ball out. Taleno Hufuanga at some point is going to have a a glorious interception where we’re going to see his hair just just beautifully flowing as he sprints towards the end zone for a pick six. Riley Moss is going to figure out a way to atone for all these pass interference penalties. like the world is going to it it’s like the Star Wars principle, right? Where there is darkness, there must be light or you know that there’s got to be balance in the force. So there’s got to be balance. You get called for nine pass interference penalties in a season. You got to have at least one or two pick sixes to make up for that. I think they we can call that the Trayvon Diggs rule or something like that. But look, I I think that’s what’s coming for this Broncos team is turnovers in bunches. It’s just h it’s been frustrating that it hasn’t happened because that is the one area where the difference in one score games right now is really the fact that this team isn’t turning the ball over and and making these dominant wins instead of close wins. And it’s crazy to think that these moments where Denver has a chance to have the pick. Like I think of all the opportunities that Taleno Huonga has certainly had this season when it really started I would say against the Philadelphia Eagles. He almost had a pick six, but then that led to Nick Bonito getting a sack, I think, on third and 15 on the very next play. Uh just Denver is still coming up with stops. You want those takeaways though because you have the chance to score. You have the chance to flip field position in that regard here. The fact that they haven’t done that and that there could just be this stretch of games coming up here, Sarah, where maybe the Broncos just the switch flips, they’re getting takeaways left and right and all of a sudden now at 9 and two, they have a chance to be even more dominant defensively if they can do that. That is a weapon. That is a game changer here. And I still believe, sir, the best is yet to come here for this Broncos football team. But with that said, Broncos country, thank you so much for rocking with us here on today’s episode of the show with Sarah and myself. We appreciate you so much. If you missed the Broncos squad show following the Chiefs game, make sure you go check it out cuz sir, former Broncos safety Nick Ferguson and I, we broke it all down. We’ll have another Broncos squad show for you here later on today. Anil Opiro, Sarah Bettinger, Nick Ferguson, and myself. We’re going to break it down as the Broncos prepare for the by-week. We’ll go through everything that you need to know. So stay tuned here, Lockdown Broncos. We’ll see you next time for another episode of the show.

The Denver Broncos charge into the bye week at 9-2 — can the run game spark them deeper into the second half of their season? With J.K. Dobbins sidelined due to a Lisfranc injury, the spotlight turns to RJ Harvey and Jaleel McLaughlin to carry the ground attack.

Cody Roark, and Sayre Bedinger debate whether Sean Payton will seek veteran help like Jamaal Williams, and assess if Harvey’s vision and patience can match Dobbins’ previous production while discussing a rush in development about pass protection, red zone execution, and offensive consistency down the stretch.

Plus, the Broncos could be getting some key guys back after the bye week, including Patrick Surtain II, Jonah Elliss, and Alex Singleton.

Cody Roark is a credentialed beat reporter for Mile High Sports and covers the Broncos daily in person. Sayre Bedinger is the site expert for Predominantly Orange. Both bring Broncos Country the most in-depth and objective coverage of the Denver Broncos.

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