Bo Nix’s hands flew to his head as soon as his pass hit Bobby Wagner’s hands, the Commanders linebacker standing in no-man’s-land in the middle of a zone. Nix didn’t see him. Or didn’t register him. A double-pump throw intended for rookie wideout Pat Bryant zipped instead directly to Wagner, and Nix came off the field patting his chest in apology for a baffling pick.
At that point Sunday night, conventional wisdom might have suggested a couple of handoffs to calm things down. Denver held a three-point lead over the Commanders. Time ticked in the fourth quarter. They could’ve elected to turn to the ground, and control the clock.
This Broncos offense, of course, is anything but conventional. Nix hit Marvin Mims on a short completion. And then hit Pat Bryant on another. And then was sacked on a third down. Three straight dropbacks. Just over two minutes came off the clock, in an eventual 27-26 overtime win that was excessively close for comfort.
In a world a few weeks earlier, this would’ve been J.K. Dobbins’ time to ring the bell. The veteran back made a living through 10 games in the second half, entrusted with the football whenever the Broncos needed a moment of offensive zen. But Dobbins was moved to injured reserve with a Lisfranc injury in mid-November, and in his place stand rookie RB RJ Harvey and gamer Jaleel McLaughlin. And Denver’s run-pass distribution has skewed toward pass across the past two weeks more heavily than in any previous two-game stretch this season: 65.4% of their offensive plays have come through the air.
“I mean, there’s no way you can downplay losing J.K., who was a top-five back when he was healthy this year. … He was obviously great for us,” tight end Adam Trautman said Monday.
“But we are obviously very confident in our backs, and then, obviously, we have a lot of confidence in our front.”
Harvey has struggled to get going in two games as the lead back, averaging just 2.7 yards a carry; he’s now at 2.6 yards per carry when taking away a 50-yard pop in Week 1 and a 40-yard touchdown scamper in Week 8. But the second-round pick quietly put forth a complete effort Sunday beyond the raw numbers on the ground, (35 yards, 13 carries, two touchdowns) — and the lack of emphasis on the run-game was more a function of game situation.
Denver went into Sunday’s matchup against Washington knowing that offenses have had success this season when running the ball in sub-personnel groupings — multiple tight ends, creative formations, etc. — against the Commanders. Washington head coach Dan Quinn, though, adjusted by deploying heavier defensive units, as Broncos head coach Sean Payton acknowledged postgame.
The Broncos deployed tackle Frank Crum as a “jumbo” blocking tight end on a career-high 11 offensive snaps. The Commanders, though, went heavy-on-heavy capably in the fourth quarter, stuffing two late runs for no gain that Crum was in the game for. And Harvey saw little daylight on a blustery night in Maryland, facing at least seven defenders near the line of scrimmage on eight of his 13 carries.
When asked postgame if his trust in the run game changed without Dobbins, Payton gave a clear vote of confidence to Harvey.
“It’s nothing to do with the runner,” Payton said postgame. “Nothing.”
“We’ll watch the tape,” Payton continued, asked on his evaluation of Harvey. “But, trust me. It was just looks where the evaluation will be on how we blocked it, and then the scheme, relative to what we were seeing defensively. The runners were good.”
The 24-year-old Harvey has gotten overzealous in looking to turn the corner around the edge at times, an issue that reared its head on a couple of plays Sunday. One fourth-quarter run shrunk to a two-yard gain when Harvey tried to bounce it outside instead of cutting to an inside hole opened up by receiver Troy Franklin. That’s been a primary reason Harvey’s averaging just 3.1 yards a carry outside the tackles this year, according to NFL’s Next Gen Stats.
Overall, though, Harvey continued to round into a complete three-down back Sunday after playing second fiddle to Dobbins for much of the year. The rookie out of UCF wore many unfamiliar hats through the first half of the season: a pass-catching back, a change-of-pace option. Now Harvey’s handling blitz pickups with confidence in pass-protection — opening up a few throws for Nix Sunday — and thriving at the goal line, with two touchdown runs against the Commanders.
The Broncos started checking out of some single-back handoffs against Washington to throw the ball, Payton said Sunday. If opposing defenses see that on tape and overcorrect by playing more defensive-back-heavy looks in the weeks to come, Harvey could be a massive beneficiary.
#Broncos RB RJ Harvey played a complete game last night. Continued key for him is reading when outside holes are there.
Could’ve gotten a few more if he cuts inside of Adam Trautman (82) here in 4Q, IMO. Troy Franklin nice block on #6. Harvey pops outside instead, gets 2. pic.twitter.com/9rD0CRd7RO
— Luca Evans (@bylucaevans) December 1, 2025
“He’s only going to get better every week with everything,” Trautman said Monday. “Seeing holes, understanding where, kinda how the scheme fits and where his eyes are and stuff. And he’s been great with that. He’s a smart player, he works his tail off. So, it’s only going to get better.”
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