What's wrong with the Denver Broncos' running game?

We’ve seen three types of missed blocks in the running game so far:

1. Straight-up misses.
2. Difficult assignments that aren’t executed.
3. Assignments so difficult that they shouldn’t have been assigned in the first place.

But the lack of execution is only part of the problem. The Broncos’ play-calling has painted the offense into a corner.

On Sunday, the Broncos called 39 passes. Bo Nix lined up in shotgun for 37 of them. He lined up at receiver for one of the others. He only passed once from under center.

Imagine you’re a safety for the Steelers. You see the Broncos line up under center with two tight ends. What are you expecting?

Maybe the Steelers called a blitz for Damontae Kazee. Maybe he’s just shooting his gap. Either way, the result is the same. (The Broncos’ pre-snap plan was off. It should have changed when Kazee approached the line of scrimmage. Either Garett Bolles should have taken him, or the double-team should have been called off and Ben Powers should have taken him.)

Pittsburgh didn’t fear the pass from under center. The Broncos ran 10 plays from under center and only one was a pass. Denver never ran play-action from under center. The Steelers were free to attack upfield without fearing repercussions.

To be fair, they didn’t seem to be scared of the Broncos’ passing attack when Denver was in shotgun, either. Why would they be scared of crowding the line of scrimmage, if the Broncos can’t take advantage of open receivers downfield, like Marvin Mims Jr. crossing the field here:

If the Broncos’ passing game was better, running the ball would be easier.

If the Broncos’ running game was better, passing the ball would be easier.

The running backs deserve their share of the blame, too. They missed a couple of running lanes, like this one.

Javonte Williams had a chance to cut back to the left, but decided to run right. It was the wrong call.

The last ugly play is a perfect storm.

If Javonte Williams was a step quicker, would he have gotten through the hole?

Could the threat of a pass have slowed down Elandon Roberts (No. 50) just enough for him to not trip Williams up?

If Mike McGlinchey had sustained his block, would Williams have regained his balance and kept moving forward?

As Sean Payton would say, there’s dirt on everybody’s hands.

Let’s take a look at a couple of the runs that worked.

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