Much has been made of the revamped Denver Broncos running back room heading into week one, and Denver's dynamic duo of RJ Harvey and JK Dobbins did not disappoint. The two backs did more than their fair share in Denver's week one victory over the Titans, showing a great combination of tempo, stability, and explosive ability.
Especially after Javonte Williams' strong performance in week one for the Cowboys, concern arose over whether Denver had done enough to revamp their rushing attack. Denver's offense was relatively quiet in the first half, particularly on the ground.
At the end of the first half, Denver had only driven down the field to score just once, their opening drive field goal, and their lone touchdown came on a penalty-aided two-play drive. Sean Payton didn't lean on his running game until the second half, but saw great rewards when they did.
RJ Harvey and JK Dobbins showed their true potential during Denver's lone second half touchdown drive
At roughly the halfway point of the fourth quarter, the Broncos got the ball back from the Titans with a one-point lead. Looking to run out the clock, Payton began to lean on his running back tandem, and it paid off handsomely. This choice would prove to be Payton's best of the game, locking up a Denver win and making the two backs major winners from Sunday afternoon.
On the first play of the drive, RJ Harvey took a handoff from Bo Nix for 50 yards, blowing past multiple Titan defenders and creating missed tackles in the open field. Harvey's run was maybe the most explosive by any Bronco since Williams carried several Ravens defenders with him four years ago. His exposive run also showed an element that the Broncos have been missing in their backfield for some time: big-play ability.
After another Harvey run for five yards and then a quick completion to Courtland Sutton for a first down, Payton would call JK Dobbins' number, and Dobbins would take his handoff to the left for 19 yards and his first Denver touchdown. In total, Harvey and Dobbins combined for 74 of Denver's 80 yards on the scoring drive, putting together what was their best ground-attack drive in multiple years.
Coach Payton has been fairly open and honest regarding what he and his team need from their running game this year, especially after Nix was the team's second leading rusher last year. Harvey and Dobbins combined for 133 yards, highlighted by Harvey's 50-yard explosion and Dobbins' score late in the fourth quarter.
If Denver has serious playoff aspirations, they are going to need more performances from their rushing attack like they had on Sunday afternoon. If Bo Nix is going to struggle to the extent he did against the Titans, a strong rushing game could become make-or-break for Denver's season. Harvey and Dobbins might have shown Broncos fans a glimpse of what is to come the rest of this season.