3 Takeaways from Broncos' Week 2 Loss vs. Commanders
The Denver Broncos were on the wrong end of one of the major comebacks of Week 2.
Denver blew a 21-3 lead in its 35-33 loss to the Washington Commanders at home on Sunday.
Russell Wilson and Co. got off to a phenomenal start, but it could not keep up with the adjustments made by Washington offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.
Denver scored a single touchdown after it went up by 17 points and that came on a Hail Mary pass on the final play of the game.
Sean Payton's team was lucky just to end up in a position to tie the contest with a two-point conversion because it was thoroughly outplayed for two-and-a-half quarters.
Broncos Had No Answer for Commanders' Adjustments
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Sunday's game changed once Washington figured out what worked best for it on offense.
The Commanders scored a touchdown right after the two-minute warning in the second quarter and then got in a field goal as time expired on the first half.
Washington gained some momentum for the first of the two second-quarter scoring drives after Wilson's fumble left the visitors at Denver's 45-yard-line.
Denver was forced into a three-and-out after the touchdown and Washington used two big pass plays to get into Joey Slye's field-goal range.
Denver's first four drives of the second half resulted in two punts, a field goal and an interception.
Washington produced three touchdowns on its first four drives of the second half. The other series resulted in a missed field goal.
Bieniemy found a way for his offense to overwhelm the Denver defense, and that unit got some help from a pair of turnovers to flip the lead in its advantage.
Denver found no answer to Washington's success, and without the Hail Mary catch by Brandon Johnson, it would have left the field with two field goals after owning a 21-3 lead.
Running Back Usage Must Be Better
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The Broncos' running backs were not as effective as they needed to be to finish off the victory.
Wilson ended up as the team's leading rusher with 56 yards on six carries. Javonte Williams only produced 44 yards on his 12 rushes.
Denver was not expected to run for a ton of yards against the Washington front seven, but the running backs could have been more effective to keep the ball away from the Commanders.
Williams averaged 3.7 yards per carry, a total that was significantly worse than Brian Robinson's 4.8 yards per rush for Washington.
The Broncos lacked depth behind Williams in the ground game. Jaleel McLaughlin scored a touchdown, but that was his only carry of the game. Samaje Perine had a single carry for four yards.
Denver needs its collection of running backs to be more effective so it can be better at finishing games in which it owns multi-score leads.
Wilson also can't be the team's leading rusher each week. He should try to be mobile in certain situations, but Williams needs to outgain him in the majority of games.
Marvin Mims' Breakout
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Marvin Mims' production is one of the few positives the Broncos can take from Sunday.
The rookie out of Oklahoma broke loose for a 60-yard touchdown catch at the end of the first quarter. His other reception went for 53 yards.
The Broncos can use Mims as a big-play threat down the field to take some pressure off Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton.
Mims even got involved in the rushing attack, as he carried the ball two times for 10 yards.
Denver can develop Mims into a No. 3 target and a X-factor on trick plays in the ground game. That could be a big development for the tight AFC West clashes with the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers.
The Broncos may need to expand Mims' role right away to keep up with the Miami Dolphins in Week 3.
If anything, the Broncos must refine his role in the offense to have a chance of winning one, or both, of the matchups with Kansas City in Weeks 6 and 8.
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