Win or lose, Week 1 in the NFL provides the first batch of data for teams to begin figuring out out who they really are.
The Broncos in Week 1 looked like a team that lacks explosiveness on both sides of the ball.
They have some — cornerback Pat Surtain II, receiver Jerry Jeudy once he’s back on the field, left guard Ben Powers in the run game – but not enough.
Coach Sean Payton isn’t going to throw out his entire blueprint and re-write it because of 60 minutes, nor should he. In fact, Week 1’s dink-and-dunk style suggests he suspected his team might struggle to run past Las Vegas. But one interesting development Sunday against Washington and into the coming weeks will be whether he and his staff show a willingness to give young players with explosive traits more opportunities.
On offense, receiver Marvin Mims Jr. and running back Jaleel McLaughlin each have burst. Mims played 17 offensive snaps and McLaughlin just a couple. McLaughlin got one target in the flat against an unfooled defender and lost seven yards. Mims got two targets and caught both for nine yards.
Quarterback Russell Wilson noted this week that big plays come in many forms – deep passes, but also solid blocking or broken tackles.
Javonte Williams and Samaje Perine are adept at going through tackles. McLaughlin showed an ability to elude them all together in the preseason.
Payton allowed this week that the undrafted running back needs more touches as the Broncos try to create big plays.
“It’s one of the things we talked about when the game ended,” Payton said. “… We will find those touches for him. I think that will be important.”
Defensively, rookie inside linebacker Drew Sanders (no defensive snaps in the opener) has the kind of explosiveness that might make coaches think about getting him on the field, even if it’s not in place of Alex Singleton or Josey Jewell at his listed inside position.
Sanders is a “pressure player,” Payton said when Denver drafted him in the third round, and the Broncos didn’t generate much against Las Vegas. A matchup against Washington’s offensive line and quarterback Sam Howell presents perhaps a more favorable environment for creating backfield havoc than quick-trigger Jimmy Garoppolo. But if they struggle again, could Sanders get a turn? In Week 1, veterans Randy Gregory and Frank Clark were unable to defeat blocks and create separation. Now Clark appears likely to miss time with a hip injury.
“Part of it is just finding the packages and the snaps to play,” Payton said. “Both Josey and Alex played well. We’ll look at our personnel and see ways where guys can help us, not only in the kicking game — he plays in the kicking game, obviously, in all four phases — but also on offense and defense. It’s not a trust issue.”
So the question becomes whether or not the Broncos’ veteran core can generate more explosiveness or if Payton must turn to young players in search of that pop. In the NFL, the deadline for finding answers usually arrives quickly.
Hindsight is 20/20
In a one-point game, any number of plays represent the potential difference.
One for the Broncos came on the second play of the second half. After Javonte Williams picked up six yards, Payton dialed up a shot and Phillip Dorsett found himself wide open up the left sideline. Wilson threw him a perfect ball but Dorsett stepped out of bounds as he caught it with nobody around.
“I thought I was in, but obviously I wasn’t,” Dorsett told The Post after the game. Though he may not have scored, Dorsett easily would have gained 40 or more yards. A golden opportunity squandered on the sideline.
Instead, Denver grinded out a couple of first downs before missing a 55-yard field goal attempt.
Number to know
24: Teams that have started a season 0-2 in three seasons since the NFL went to a 14-team playoff field. The 2022 Cincinnati Bengals are the only one of that group to make the playoffs. Still a relatively small sample size compared to the history of the NFL, but a clarifying point when it comes to Denver trying to level its record Sunday.
From the locker room
• Undrafted rookie tight end Nate Adkins made the 53-man roster but was inactive Week 1. With Greg Dulcich out due to a hamstring injury, Adkins’ time may be here more quickly than expected.
“It would be awesome, but at the same time if I’m coming up, somebody’s going down,” he told The Post. “Greg got hurt, so it’s tough to come in in that position, but I’m just going to do my best to try to have no fall-off in the tight end room.”
Adkins said his girlfriend will be at the game but his dad, South Carolina’s offensive line coach, will not. He’s spent the week preparing for USC to visit No. 1 Georgia on the road. Big weekend in the Adkins household.
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