The Denver Broncos lost starting quarterback Bo Nix for the rest of the season with a broken ankle, but they did escape with a win against Buffalo in overtime. It game on another game-winning field goal from Wil Lutz after a series of catastrophic penalties committed by the Bills defense.
Early in the game, both Pat Bryant and Troy Franklin were ruled out with a concussion and with a hamstring injury. We saw some unfortunate key drops from Courtland Sutton and Lil'Jordan Humphrey after that, and the early part of the game increasingly felt like a disaster, and the momentum was not really going Denver's way.
However, in the second half, the Broncos managed to make enough plays to escape with the win, and if not for this key third-year wide receiver, the Broncos would have lost. Not only does Marvin Mims Jr need to get the ball more, but he was probably not used nearly enough in the regular season.
Marvin Mims Jr had a near-perfect performance against the Buffalo Bills
Marvin Mims Jr caught all eight of his targets for 93 yards and the then go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Mims had a passer rating of 154.7 when targeted. A 'perfect' passer rating in the NFL is 158.3. Mims has been the most sure-handed player on the Denver Broncos for a while now, but for whatever reason, it seems like we're always asking about his usage.
And if Bryant and Franklin did not get ruled out that quickly, the odds that Mims has this type of game were probably low, unfortunately. Mims is still just 23 years old, and across his three-year career in the regular season, he has a passer rating of 109.4 when targeted and has just five drops across 98 total receptions.
The Denver Broncos need to keep feeding Marvin Mims Jr - he's elite after the catch and someone who could help take the load off of Jarrett Stidham. Mims is the best overall playmaker on the offense right now, likely outside of JK Dobbins, and if the Broncos hope to go on a bit of a magical run here to the Super Bowl, Mims is going to need the ball a lot.
Not only does he offer All-Pro upside as a returner, but he is a good wide receiver. The under-usage is a puzzling, frustrating thing, but if the Divisional Round was any indication, perhaps we do see more Mims in the AFC title game.