The Denver Broncos lost to the Washington Commanders on Sunday, but it wasn't the fault of rookie wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr., who made his presence felt in a big way in the first half of that game. As our own Andy Martinez wrote, Mims has the potential to be a legitimate NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate if he keeps it up, which is why it was confusing that he didn't receive any targets in the second half of the loss to the Commanders.
Maybe there is a correlation there...
At any rate, we're not here to be petty, we're here to discuss the fact that the Denver Broncos have one of the NFL's latest game-breakers offensively, something this team has desperately been lacking. The Broncos have been a baseball lineup without a true home-run hitter for who knows how long? This is a team that has lacked game-altering speed, though they've tried to find it from other sources.
The KJ Hamler selection didn't work out in Denver's favor. Perhaps we'll see him come back at some point, but for now, it's best to expect that both sides have moved on. Jerry Jeudy is a big-play threat, but not in the same type of way. Mims has game-altering speed, the ability to flip the field in the blink of an eye.
And it's much more than just track speed in a pre-draft workout. Mims was used sparingly for the Broncos in Week 1 against the Raiders, but exploded in Week 2 against the Commanders with three of the fastest plays of the entire NFL season so far.
As a matter of fact, he put the Broncos on the map with three of the fastest plays in the entire NFL so far this season according to Next Gen Stats.
According to NFL Next Gen Stats:#Broncos Rookie WR Marvin Mims reached 20+ mph on 3 of his 4 touches in the 1st half on Sunday, becoming just the 3rd player to do so in a half since 2018. His top speeds of 21.38 mph, 20.99 mph (punt return) and 20.90 mph were the 2nd, 5th and…
— Cody Roark (@CodyRoarkNFL) September 20, 2023
According to Next Gen Stats, Mims reached speeds of 21.38 mph, 20.99 mph, and 20.90 mph on three separate plays against the Commanders. Crazy enough, Mims's slowest play of them all was his 60-yard touchdown on an absolutely perfect pass from Russell Wilson.
These three explosive plays from Mims came on just 16 total offensive snaps, and they all rank within the top 12 of the fastest plays so far this season in the NFL (5th, 8th, and 12th, respectively).
The Broncos unlocked this part of their offense at the perfect time because they are facing the Miami Dolphins in Week 3. The Dolphins are already well-established as one of the NFL's most explosive and dynamic offenses. While Mims has the Broncos on the board with three plays in the top 12 fastest so far this season, the Dolphins have four in the top 12 of their own, including the three fastest plays overall.
Not that the speed of Mims can neutralize the speed the Dolphins bring to the table, but that type of game-altering presence is so valuable for an offense (and special teams) to have over the course of a game. Now, we can only hope to see more of Mims, who is quickly going to become a focal point of the Denver Broncos' offense.