The Denver Broncos, entering their biggest game of the 2024 season against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 10, made a pretty substantial change at the top of their depth chart offensively.
Head coach Sean Payton stated early in the week that he wanted to see rookie running back Audric Estimé get more opportunities and vowed that he would get more opportunities. Our big question after Payton said that was -- at the expense of who?
Well, we now have our answer to that question as one of the team's most prominent starters was seemingly benched in favor of the rookie running back out of Notre Dame...
Javonte Williams seemingly benched by Broncos in favor of Audric Estimé
Estimé led the Broncos with 14 carries for 53 yards (3.8 yards per carry) and would have easily eclipsed four yards per carry in this game except for the fact that the Broncos were deliberately running out the clock late in the game and Estimé was bottled up on a couple of obvious running plays.
Javonte Williams was effectively benched with just one carry for one yard in this game and two catches as well.
It was the Audric Estimé show, and he made some big runs in the game against the Chiefs, including a first-down run late in the game that helped set the Broncos up for what should have been a game-winning field goal.
The result of the game is what it is at this point. This was a crucial moment in the season for the Broncos and they turned to their rookie tailback out of Notre Dame to rejuvenate a running game that has frankly struggled for most of the last two years with Javonte Williams as the lead back. In six of his nine starts this season for the Broncos, Williams averaged under four yards per carry.
Given the way the Broncos' passing attack has played lately (well), the running game simply had to take better advantage of the opportunities they were getting. Williams wasn't cutting it.
It will be fascinating to see what Sean Payton and the Broncos do moving forward. Estimé sent a message after the game that the loss that this loss is going to make him a "monster" going forward.
Audric Estime said this loss is going to help make him into a “monster” pic.twitter.com/IjHHxBhiiu
— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) November 10, 2024
And we have no reason not to believe him. At Notre Dame, Estimé was undoubtedly a "monster" in terms of creating yardage after contact. The Broncos trusted him in the biggest moments of the game when it would have been much easier to roll with the veteran Javonte Williams. Estimé getting carries on the final clock-killing drive is telling of what this coaching staff feels about him despite the issues he's had fumbling in 2024.
It appears the Broncos may have a new RB1 moving forward.