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

Tyler Badie‘s 16-yarder was the best run of the day. The design cleared room to work. The blocks were executed. Badie took advantage.

On this one, the Broncos schemed up a numbers advantage. They ran a zone-read option, which takes the edge defender out of the play. If he commits to the running back, the quarterback keeps it. If not, the quarterback hands the ball off.

Nix has led the Broncos in rushing in each of the first two games, but the Broncos haven’t given him too many carries. It’s time for that to change.

The Broncos need a spark, and using Nix to provide a numbers advantage in the running game could be exactly that. If Nix can open up the running game, that might jumpstart the passing game too. The Broncos are still testing what works and what doesn’t with this year’s team—with an inexperienced Nix in particular—and more runs from the rookie should be next on the list.

I’d love to see seven or eight read options. I’d love a couple of designed runs. At the very least, the Broncos must run more play-action bootlegs, which could create more scrambling opportunities.

Running the ball in the NFL is hard. It’s especially hard if you don’t have a scary passing attack.

But the Broncos are taking advantage of that on the defensive side of the ball.

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