The Denver Broncos’ Backfield Has Started to His Its Stride

It was a massacre at Mile High Stadium on Sunday — right from the jump, the Broncos slammed their foot on the gas and never looked back.

The catalyst? Denver’s dominant ground game.

J.K. Dobbins and rookie RJ Harvey owe Evan Engram an apology for stealing the show on National Tight Ends Day. The Cowboys flat out couldn’t find an answer to the young tandem, with each showing off the specialties of their game.

While it’s true that Dallas’ defense is not good, there’s no denying the impressive performance the two RBs shared on Sunday.

Having a consistent ground game completely reshapes this Broncos team. In a game where it seemed that everything finally “clicked,” many are overlooking just how important and underrated the Broncos’ backfield is.

Looking Vintage Again

On 15 carries, Dobbins ran for 111 yards, averaging out to 7.4 yards per carry despite his longest run of the day being 25 yards.  His ability to constantly gain yardage is impressive, including in situations where it seemed he had to pull a Houdini act to gain a few extra yards.

Despite it being only Week 8 in the NFL, Dobbins’ 634 rushing yards have already surpassed last year’s Broncos rushing leader, Javonte Williams, who had 513. 

Let me say that again — it is only Week 8. 

The production that Dobbins brings to the backfield is refreshing for Denver fans, something that they haven’t seen since C.J. Anderson back in 2016.

After batting through a seemingly endless string of injuries since 2021, J.K. Dobbins is finally showing the league what a full season of production looks like from him. His playstyle blends extremely well with the Broncos’ offensive scheme, especially when Sean Payton starts calling screens. 

Dobbins’ performance on Sunday cannot be overlooked; nobody could stop him, not even a poor cameraman.

Hat Trick Harvey

After stumbling his way through the first few weeks of his pro career, RJ Harvey has started to grow into his own the past few weeks. The second-round draft pick found the endzone not once, not twice, but three times on Sunday, despite only rushing the ball seven times. Harvey had two rushing touchdowns, which were his first two of the season, along with one receiving to complete the trifecta.

Harvey’s performance was impressive, sure, but what most aren’t looking at is his movement over the past few weeks. His skill set is turning heads, and even people like former NFL player Mitchell Schwartz are starting to take notice. Schwartz compares his moves to the likes of Barry Sanders, complimenting his ability to change direction.

Now, does this mean that RJ Harvey is going to turn out like Barry Sanders? My guess is probably not (although I wouldn’t complain).  But to show flashes of dominance this early into an NFL career, Harvey could be ready to take a big leap in touches over the coming weeks.

Credit to Payton

Sean Payton was absolutely fantastic on Sunday. He went full attack mode with his play calling, allowing Bo Nix to tear up the Cowboys secondary all day. This is the Sean Payton fans have been looking for — one who can use his abilities to maximize the potential of the Broncos young core.

With Nix getting more downfield options as he attacks the deep ball, this shies attention away from the ground game, opening up plenty of opportunities for Harvey and Dobbins.  In the previous weeks, play calls were generally short passes and screens, resulting in the Broncos’ backfield being unable to break through. 

Now, with Nix taking to the air more frequently, Denver has added a new threat to their already dangerous team.

Future of The Backfield

Dobbins and Harvey are 26 and 24 years old respectively; with Harvey having a fantastic mentor in Dobbins to teach him the ropes, who knows what Harvey’s ceiling is. 

All Denver fans know is that they haven’t had backfield consistency like this in years. It feels like forever ago that Philip Lindsay was taking the world by storm, and now much like the quarterback position, the Broncos have found their running backs for coming seasons.