For the first time all season, the Denver Broncos are notably banged up. The team produced their estimated injury report for Thursday night with a long list of key names on the report, including a few who missed Sunday's matchup with the Texans. Despite the win on Sunday, it was clear there were issues with the Broncos.
Most notably, the absence of a few key Broncos was felt. The team has been feeling the fallout of the injury to guard Ben Powers for about a month now, and Week 9 felt like the first time in which the Broncos went a full game with consistency and security on their line since his injury. As the Broncos settle into life without Powers, they have a while to go regarding a few other injuries.
Two important Broncos were out for the first time on Sunday in Houston: Pat Surtain and Marvin Mims. It is impossible to deny the absence of Surtain, but the Broncos' secondary held its own against the Texans' offense, especially in coverage. As for Mims, the Broncos' offense sputtered, and their special teams unit was worse.
The Broncos desperately need a healthy Marvin Mims back
The Broncos special teams unit has been a mess all season, but that only continued into Week 9, and was amplified by the Mims injury. Missing Mims on returns was incredibly obvious all game, but hit a head when Michael Bandy was caught inbetween letting a punt drop and moving in to fair catch it. The ball hit the turf, hit off his facemask, and bounced straight into the arms of a Texans defender deep in Denver territory.
Bandy's fumble highlighted how awful Denver's special teams were on Sunday and showed how much the All-Pro Mims does to cover up the issues the unit has. Sean Payton and Darren Rizzi seemingly have lost some level of trust in RJ Harvey as a returner after a few gaffes earlier in the year, leaving them with no real option to return kicks when Mims is not on the field. To compound issues for Payton, the Broncos' receiving core is significantly more bland and predictable when Mims is not a part of it.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Broncos struggled to move the ball down the field through the air all day in Houston. The Broncos were much flatter without Mims, and it showed in the production of the offense. Bo Nix managed just 173 total yards through the air, wth 57 of them coming on two plays to Harvey and Courtland Sutton. Without Mims to pose as a legitimate homerun threat, the Broncos' offense was much easier to defend. The Broncos sorely miss Mims on two sides of the ball.