The Denver Broncos are 12-2 on the season and alone atop the NFL. They have the best record in the league and were actually 9-5 at this point last year. The Broncos also became the first AFC team to clinch a playoff spot after being the last to do so back in 2024.
All signs are now pointing to the Broncos being a huge threat in the postseason, perhaps being able to make a run to the Super Bowl. Depending on what happens this week, the Broncos could clinch the AFC West title and the no. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs.
However, based on the schedule and clinching scenarios, the AFC West will have to come before the no. 1 seed. Anyway, Denver has won 11 games in a row and are riding high, but they could be facing a key issue that may derail their season if it is not fixed soon.
If the running game can't improve, the Denver Broncos' season may end very early
It's no secret that the run game has taken a bit of a hit in recent weeks, and it's centered around losing JK Dobbins with that foot injury suffered against the Las Vegas Raiders back in Week 10. The injury was about six weeks ago, so Dobbins has surely been on the road to recovery since then.
The veteran RB was on pace to have his best season on the ground and was going to shatter the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career. It was such a disappointing injury for the offense and for the player himself. Dobbins has battled injuries for the bulk of his career. Anyway, in the 10 games that Dobbins was healthy, for the Broncos had triple-digit rushing yards in eight of those games and averaged 128.6 yards per game.
Denver has played four full games without Dobbins, and the rushing attack has hit the triple-digit mark just once since then, averaging only 96.8 yards per game. Averaging nearly 32 fewer yards per game is just brutal.
With how good the defense has been and how efficient the passing attack is becoming, the run game is the one glaring weakness with this team. RJ Harvey is the lead back now, but he's just a rookie and clearly not a finished product.
Simply put, if this area cannot improve immediately, Denver is going to see an otherwise magical season end far too soon.