Horse Tracks: Broncos searching for the right groove on offense

Good morning, Broncos Country. Week 14 of the NFL regular season is upon us. Our Denver Broncos boast a 10-2 record and two-game lead in the AFC West over the Los Angeles Chargers. With a win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, the Broncos can reclaim the top seed in the AFC playoff race ahead of the New England Patriots.

Things haven’t been perfect for Denver, but the results speak for themselves. Ten wins by early December is a monumental achievement. Both the team and fans are undoubtedly excited with where things stand with just five games left to go. From here on out the message is simple: “One game at a time.”

Back in November, Denver was able to squeak out a 10-7 victory against the Raiders. Truth be told, that is how most games have played out during the 2025 season. There have been few decisive victories to date, but their penchant for comeback wins and gutting out hard-fought battles speaks volumes about the grit and mental toughness this team possesses.

On Sunday, the Broncos have a shot to get their tenth win in a row and eleventh of the season. Will I gladly take another close victory? Of course. A win is a win. Even so, count me in as someone who would like to see Denver handle business decisively on the road this Sunday against Raiders.

The Broncos’ defense certainly needs to clean up on their miscues and mistakes we saw against the Washington Commanders on Sunday Night Football. Though I’m really hoping the Broncos can finally find a consistent groove on offense.

I’ve been impressed with second-year signal caller Bo Nix in the last two outings. However, it’s not ideal having him throw the ball 40 times a game. That’s too much pressure on his shoulders on a weekly basis. It’s why finding the right rhythm in the running game will be important on Sunday. In their past six games, the Raiders have given up at least 150 yards on the ground three times. With that in mind, I’d want to see Denver run the ball with authority.

Rookie running back RJ Harvey has impressed this year with eight touchdowns and 501 total yards from scrimmage. Alas, on 24 rushing attempts over the past few weeks, Harvey has just 65 yards. No matter how you slice it, 2.7 yards per carry from your lead running back is not ideal. They have got to get better in that respect to finish off the regular season strong and have a chance to make a deep postseason run.

On top of that, the team is still searching for consistency from their groups of receivers and tight ends. Before last week’s game, Evan Engram hadn’t topped 50 receiving yards in a game all season. Nevertheless, Engram’s 41-yard catch and run in overtime was the big spark for yet another comeback victory. He showed a lot of juice and speed after the catch on that play making fans collectively wonder, “Where has this been all year?”

While Troy Franklin and Courtland Sutton are getting the most targets in the passing game, finding a way to continue to maximize Engram’s opportunities will be important down the stretch. All offseason we heard about the importance of the ‘Joker’ role for Head Coach Sean Payton’s offense. I’m interested to see if that can show up on a regular basis over the next five weeks.

If so? The Broncos could be a dangerous team come playoff time. If not? They will have their work cut out for them.

As always, thank you for reading. Here is today’s slate of articles for Horse Tracks. Enjoy!