Anticipating Denver Broncos backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham to drag off an upset within the AFC Championship Recreation was unrealistic, particularly with a run sport that provided little help.
The Broncos misplaced to the New England Patriots, 10-7, within the convention championship sport on Sunday. Stidham — who changed an injured Bo Nix (damaged proper ankle) — completed 17-of-31 passing for 133 yards, one landing and one interception. The QB additionally misplaced one fumble.
A run sport that stored spinning its wheels compounded the Broncos’ offensive issues. Broncos rookie working again RJ Harvey led Denver in speeding Sunday (37 yards on 13 carries). The staff averaged 3.3 yards per carry (79 yards on 24 carries), properly under the league common (4.4 yards per carry, per Pro Football Reference).
Sunday’s climate definitely impacted the Broncos run sport. Within the second half, heavy snow started to fall, limiting visibility and making the sphere way more slippery. That stated, Denver’s backfield has been considered one of its greatest weaknesses all through the season. And it is a difficulty the staff should deal with to make it to the Tremendous Bowl subsequent season.
How do Broncos enhance backfield?
This offseason, the Broncos signed sixth-year RB J.Okay. Dobbins to a one-year, $2.065M deal in free company and took former Central Florida Knights star Harvey with decide No. 60 within the NFL Draft. They need to’ve invested extra at RB.
Dobbins began sizzling, speeding for 772 yards in 10 video games, however suffered a left foot damage in a 10-7 Week 10 win over the Las Vegas Raiders and missed the remainder of the season. The Broncos then turned to Harvey, however the 5-foot-8, 205-pound again seems to be extra like a gadget man, not a real RB1.
In the course of the common season, Harvey averaged a subpar 3.7 yards per carry (540 yards). That determine dropped to 3 yards per carry within the playoffs (57 yards on 19 carries).
Nix hid the run-game issues in 2025. The cell passer ranked third on the staff in speeding yards (356 on 83 carries) in the course of the common season. However docs might advise him to run much less subsequent season to keep away from one other damage. The QB reportedly needs 12 weeks to get well after present process surgical procedure.
The Broncos may re-sign Dobbins in free company, however given the foot difficulty, they could pursue different RBs. New York Jets RB Breece Corridor (1,065 speeding yards, No. 15 within the NFL) and Carolina Panthers RB Rico Dowdle (1,076 yards, No. 14 within the NFL) are free brokers this offseason.
Denver may goal a RB within the 2026 NFL Draft if it feels the asking costs of free brokers are too excessive, maybe Emmett Johnson (Nebraska Cornhuskers). He ran for 1,451 yards on 251 carries in 2025.
Regardless, the Broncos cannot ignore their RB room this offseason. The shortage of depth on the place usually compelled them to rely too closely on their QBs in 2025, one cause they fell one sport wanting the Tremendous Bowl.
