The Denver Broncos defeated the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 14, sweeping them for the second season in a row. Denver now moves to 11-2 on the season and 3-1 in the AFC West.
They also clinched a common-opponent tiebreaker over the New England Patriots, which is huge for their quest for the top seed in the AFC, which is well within reach and really only down to Denver or New England at this point.
One issue that the Broncos have been having in recent weeks has been the run game, as JK Dobbins got hurt in the Week 10 win over the Raiders and is likely missing the rest of the season, which is just brutal. Without a consistent run game, the Broncos could be one-and-done in the playoffs. Fortunately, though, we did get a glimpse of signs of life from that unit in Week 14.
RJ Harvey and the run game got going for the Broncos in Week 14
It was an efficient day on the ground for the Denver Broncos. RJ Harvey had 17 carries for 75 yards and a touchdown. The other two running backs, Jaleel McLaughlin and Tyler Badie, combined for 8 carries for 38 yards, which is nearly five yards per tote.
Bo Nix also added 15 rushing yards and a touchdown, and Denver also got positive gains from Adam Prentice and Marvin Mims Jr. All in all, the Broncos had 152 rushing yards and averaged 4.9 yards per play.
At some point, the run game had to get going, and while the Raiders are bad, their defense isn't quite as bad as you might think. Furthermore, the Broncos could soon see the return of guard Ben Powers from a biceps injury, as his projected recovery time has just about passed.
Denver has four more regular season games left against the Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, and Los Angeles Chargers. The Broncos likely need just one more to earn one of the top three seeds in the AFC, but they could clinch the AFC West as soon as Week 15.
A LA Chargers' loss in Week 14, and a Denver win plus another LA loss in Week 15 would officially clinch the division. This remaining four-game stretch for the Broncos is going to be tough, but the run game finding their footing after the injury to JK Dobbins could be the missing link to the offense.