At first glance, the production from the Denver running back tandem of Javonte Williams and Samaje Perine from a Week 1 loss to Las Vegas was solid, if unspectacular.
The duo combined to rush 21 times for 93 yards, good for 4.4 per carry.
Dig a little bit deeper, and you’ll quickly see how integral the pair of backs is to where the Broncos are trying to go and how much head coach Sean Payton is likely to rely on them in the coming weeks.
Williams and Perine logged four catches apiece on 10 targets for another 42 yards, including 37 for Perine.
That means 52% of the Broncos’ net offensive yardage came compliments of their two top running backs. Of 55 offensive snaps where somebody besides Russell Wilson touched the ball — he took two sacks and carried once – that somebody was Williams or Perine 29 times.
“Sean told us, you never know how you’re going to get used,” Perine said. “It’s just how offenses are going nowadays. Running backs have to be able to adapt and catch the ball out of the backfield. …We’re looking to get that going more and more.”
It is easy to extrapolate too much from one game and the Broncos’ 17-16 loss to the Raiders was strange in the first place. Each team only had the ball six times. Denver chewed 32 minutes, 8 seconds of clock on those possessions despite 37 pass plays and 21 runs.
The Raiders clearly felt unthreatened by a Denver offense that played the entire game without receiver Jerry Jeudy and more than half without tight end Greg Dulcich, who suffered a hamstring injury just before halftime.
“Certainly, you miss Jerry and you miss Greg,” Payton said. “The other thing is we got a little bit more — a lot more — soft zone coverage. To Russ’ credit, the ball came down underneath a number of times when it needed to. It’s that back and forth: You’re waiting for the down safety looks, you’re waiting for the opportunities that maybe provide you those chances down the field, but I would say a little bit more shell (coverage) than expected and they forced the throws to come underneath.”
The question going forward, then, is two parts. First, can the Broncos run the ball effectively enough to force Washington and future opponents out of two-high safety looks? Second, if they do, does Denver have the playmakers to take advantage, especially with Dulcich set to likely miss time — he’s had recurring hamstring issues and was not moving well in the post-game locker room Sunday — just as Jeudy potentially nears a return.
On Sunday, Denver’s longest completion was a 21-yard crossing route to Brandon Johnson and next a 20-yard gain on a swing pass to Perine. One of the only true deep balls turned into a productive play, but only in a 17-yard pass interference penalty on a rainbow attempt for Courtland Sutton late in the first half.
“The thing offensively that stood out, is there weren’t any explosives,” Payton said. “I mean, we had a couple plays that would measure into the explosive category, but it was unique that way in a game where you didn’t have the same amount of possessions you were used to, and then the margins quickly shift. If you told me we were going to win the turnover battle and we were going to win the rushing battle against that team, I would’ve been really happy and said that more than likely we were going to win the game, but it wasn’t the case.”
If the Broncos prove incapable of throwing haymakers, their only option offensively is going to be to grind out body blows. Perine thinks the offense is capable of playing and winning that way.
“It’s going to be a huge strength for us just to keep drives going, take time off the clock and wear people down,” he said. “When we get the explosives figured out, then it’s really going to be difficult to stop us because then you have to worry about the run game, the quick passes but also the deep threat, so you can’t just load the box all the time.
“It’s definitely going to help out as the season goes along.”
In the meantime, he and Williams are the driving forces in Denver’s skill group.
After all, Williams had 17 touches Sunday and Perine 12. Tight end Adam Trautman (five) and Sutton (four) were the only others with more than two.
“Obviously it was only the first game, but I can see us really, down the stretch, going into the third and fourth quarters, leaning on defenses as they get tired,” Perine said. “We’re still relatively fresh because we’re two physical backs and some teams just aren’t going to want to go against that for four quarters.”
Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis.
Source: Read Full Article
