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.<\/p>\n
The duo combined to rush 21 times for 93 yards, good for 4.4 per carry.<\/p>\n
Dig a little bit deeper, and you\u2019ll 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.<\/p>\n
Williams and Perine logged four catches apiece on 10 targets for another 42 yards, including 37 for Perine.<\/p>\n
That means 52% of the Broncos\u2019 net offensive yardage came compliments of their two top running backs. Of 55 offensive snaps where somebody besides Russell Wilson touched the ball \u2014 he took two sacks and carried once \u2013 that somebody was Williams or Perine 29 times.<\/p>\n
\u201cSean told us, you never know how you\u2019re going to get used,\u201d Perine said. \u201cIt\u2019s just how offenses are going nowadays. Running backs have to be able to adapt and catch the ball out of the backfield. \u2026We\u2019re looking to get that going more and more.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is easy to extrapolate too much from one game and the Broncos\u2019 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“Certainly, you miss Jerry and you miss Greg,\u201d Payton said. \u201cThe other thing is we got a little bit more \u2014 a lot more \u2014 soft zone coverage. To Russ\u2019 credit, the ball came down underneath a number of times when it needed to. It\u2019s that back and forth: You\u2019re waiting for the down safety looks, you\u2019re 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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 \u2014 he’s had recurring hamstring issues and was not moving well in the post-game locker room Sunday \u2014 just as Jeudy potentially nears a return.<\/p>\n
On Sunday, Denver\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe thing offensively that stood out, is there weren\u2019t any explosives,\u201d Payton said. \u201cI 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\u2019t 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\u2019ve been really happy and said that more than likely we were going to win the game, but it wasn\u2019t the case.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be a huge strength for us just to keep drives going, take time off the clock and wear people down,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen we get the explosives figured out, then it\u2019s 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\u2019t just load the box all the time.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s definitely going to help out as the season goes along.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the meantime, he and Williams are the driving forces in Denver\u2019s skill group.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously 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,\u201d Perine said. \u201cWe\u2019re still relatively fresh because we\u2019re two physical backs and some teams just aren\u2019t going to want to go against that for four quarters.\u201d<\/p>\n