Despite the fact that things started off poorly this season for the Denver Broncos, the team has gone on a recent three-game winning streak and just finished beating the tar out of the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday afternoon in Denver. It was a glorious win for the Broncos, who dominated in all three phases after starting in an ugly 0-10 hole, and the game served as a reminder that there are some key players who have been contributing above what many may have expected during this winning streak.
There are a lot of players who deserve to be recognized for what the Broncos have been doing lately, but there are a few who have really stood out during this three-game stretch in which the Broncos have maybe proven they are one of the better teams in the AFC right now.
Who are the three players who have really been better than expected during this three-game winning streak?
3 Broncos players who have exceeded expectations during winning streak
1. Javonte Williams, running back
There had been issues plaguing Javonte Williams for a lot longer than just the first handful of games to start the 2024 season with the Broncos. Up until recently, Williams was in the midst of a stretch of 13 games dating back to last season in which he averaged fewer than four yards per carry. The explosive running back we all saw back in 2021 who created offense with yardage after contact and tackle-breaking ability was seemingly gone after a major knee injury in 2022.
But that has all changed over the last three games.
Williams racked up 111 total yards from scrimmage in the Broncos' win against the Raiders and has averaged 4.75 yards per carry in the last two games combined. He has posted nearly 200 yards from scrimmage over the last two games and has slowly been improving both in the running game and as a receiver. And Williams is always a top-tier pass protector.
2. Lil'Jordan Humphrey, wide receiver
We didn't see much from Lil'Jordan Humphrey in the Broncos' win against the New York Jets, but in the team's wins against both the Bucs and Raiders, he made some huge plays.
Humphrey hasn't been the most well-received player on the roster this season after the Broncos' decision to cut veteran Tim Patrick and keep Humphrey around. Especially after a drop in Week 1, Humphrey was under the microscope in a very negative way. But he's made some critical plays in the Broncos' winning streak, including a couple of runs after the catch which have set the Broncos up great offensively.
He may have that the single best catch and run of the season so far against the Raiders in Week 5.
3. Justin Strnad, linebacker
After he played nearly the entire game against the Bucs with a torn ACL, the Denver Broncos had to put off-ball linebacker and captain Alex Singleton on injured reserve, ending his 2024 season after just a handful of games. Everyone was wondering who the Broncos would pick to replace him because, at that point, only Kristian Welch had played even a couple of other snaps at linebacker.
Justin Strnad was the guy picked to replace Singleton in the lineup next to Cody Barton, and he's been outstanding. Strnad has racked up 13 total tackles, a sack, three tackles for loss, and he's allowed a QB rating of just 79.5 into his coverage. Strnad has been excellent for the Broncos and given how massive the loss of Singleton was, he's really stepped up in a big way.