Another year, another loss to the Chiefs. The Denver Broncos have now lost 16 straight games to the Chiefs and quarterback Patrick Mahomes is 12-0 against the Broncos in his NFL career. Broncos Country is obviously now just anticipating the mass exodus of players who are apparently on the trade block, players who may have played their last games as Broncos against the Chiefs.
After assessing the game as a whole, it's clear that this was arguably the offense's worst performance of the season while the defense may have actually (finally) shown up in a big way. Although not everyone on the roster can be traded, which players might need to start getting some more action, and which players on the Denver Broncos roster should see the field less?
3 players Denver Broncos should bench, 3 who should play more
1. Russell Wilson benching coming soon?
There is a chance we could see the Denver Broncos bench starting quarterback Russell Wilson relatively soon. Do I think it's deserved after the whole of what we've seen so far this season? No, which is why I don't think we'll see him benched right away. But if the Broncos keep losing games, this might be a conversation that happens after the bye week.
Wilson has a $37 million salary guarantee for 2025 that will kick in on the 5th day of the 2024 league year. That will be guaranteed for injury if anything happens to Wilson this season. If the Broncos want to save that $37 million in cash by potentially cutting Wilson in 2024, they would need to turn to Jarrett Stidham at some point. And that some point could be coming soon.
Wilson and the offense have not been clicking the last two weeks. There is no passing game to really speak of for the Broncos at the moment. We'll see how they do against the Packers, but as of right now, I think the clock is definitely ticking on this season for Russ as well as his time with the Broncos.
2. We need more of WR Marvin Mims
Early on in the 2023 season, you might have thought that Marvin Mims wasn't getting a ton of playing time because the Broncos were just easing him along. As he started making plays, you may have assumed he was going to start getting an increased role to find out what he could do with more reps.
That hasn't been the case. Mims had 0 targets against the Chiefs, which was largely due to the team not having much of a downfield passing attack to speak of at all, but 0 targets?
Really?
There needs to be more Marvin Mims in the Broncos offense, and quickly.
3. Samaje Perine role being reduced?
Samaje Perine has done some nice things for the Denver Broncos this year, but after what we saw against Kansas City, and with what we've seen over the last 2-3 weeks, I think it's safe to say that the Denver Broncos' running game needs more Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin. Maybe most specifically, the latter.
McLaughlin has been outstanding this year and has capitalized on just about every touch he has gotten. Not only is McLaughlin a much tougher runner than his size would indicate, but he has the best vision of any current Denver Broncos running back.
Yes, I said it.
While Williams and Perine can bring the boom, McLaughlin adds a different dimension to the offense and is a big-play threat. He should not be missing snaps at the expense of Perine, whose self-inflicted fumble at the end of the game vs. Kansas City was horrendous.
4. JaQuan McMillian deserves more playing time
The Denver Broncos already took the drastic step to bench (and cut) Essang Bassey off the roster entirely. Bassey was taking over as the team's no. 1 nickel cornerback with K'Waun Williams on the mend, and McMillian has already taken his place.
After his performance on Thursday night, the Broncos might need to find a way to just keep McMillian on the field. He impressed in his lone opportunity late last season vs. the Chargers as an outside corner, and against the Chiefs, he proved to be a bit of a menace in the nickel. He finished with 3 tackles for loss and a pass breakup, a play where it looked like he was a tick away from a possible pick-six.
5. The time has come for Damarri Mathis to be benched
The Denver Broncos' starting cornerback opposite Pat Surtain II all season has been former fourth-round pick Damarri Mathis. The team put a lot of faith in Mathis after his strong rookie season, and understandably so. The issue, up to this point, is that they didn't bring in anyone that they feel can immediately replace him. We've yet to see rookie Riley Moss, but that will hopefully soon change.
Mathis had another really poor game against the Chiefs on Thursday, getting called for a questionable pass interference penalty but also was out of position on a variety of occasions.
6. Ronnie Perkins needs more playing time
If you've been wondering who no. 51 is out there coming off the edge for the Denver Broncos, it's former New England Patriots third-round pick Ronnie Perkins. The Broncos poached Perkins off of the Patriots' practice squad earlier this season and his game action last week was the first of his NFL career. His snaps against Kansas City were the most extensive he's ever played, and he looked really solid.
There was one play, in particular, where Perkins got a great jump off the snap in the red zone and got pressure on Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes escaped to his right and Perkins was able to change direction quickly and stay in pursuit. He had a number of high-effort plays on the night and standout reps where that 51 popped off the screen.
Maybe the Broncos found a gem here.