Why Broncos must lean further into diverse run game that showed promise in Week 1

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — As Javonte Williams emerged from a pile Sunday and began heading toward the huddle, he felt someone lightly tap his surgically repaired knee. “Being out there free, it felt like last year.” As encouraging as Williams’ first game back was Sunday, it must prove to be a scratching-the-surface moment for he and the Broncos rushing attack if they are going to resurrect an offense that finished with only 16 points in Week 1. “You’re waiting for the opportunities that maybe provide you those chances down the field, but I would say a little bit more shell than expected and forced the throws to come underneath.” Until those looks come, Payton acknowledged, the way for the Broncos to beat the heavy doses of Cover 2 and other zone looks coming their way is to “run the ball and have the sustained success.” In other words, force the opponents into a choice they don’t want to make and creep that safety toward the line of scrimmage. We were the same way defensively.” The Broncos were able to sustain possessions Sunday — four of their six drives took at least five minutes, 28 seconds of the clock; one of the two that took less time was a two-minute touchdown drive at the end of the first half — thanks to a run game that produced four runs of at least 10 yards, more than all but six teams in Week 1. So without going into too much detail about it, it gives the defense something to think about.” GO DEEPER The Broncos are more functional under Sean Payton — but familiar issues remain Like other aspects of Denver’s plan Sunday, the run game was impacted by Denver’s abnormally low possession count.