Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton made it clear coming out of the bye: Jaleel McLaughlin is not an afterthought in this offense. Asked about the running game in the Week 11 win over the Kansas City Chiefs during a press conference, Payton said the young back “had a handful of good runs” and added that, in the flow of a normal game, McLaughlin is “going to be important for us in this stretch.”
McLaughlin scored Denver’s lone touchdown in the 22-19 victory over Kansas City, punching in a 4-yard run to cap an 11-play, 89-yard drive that briefly gave the Broncos control in the second half. In a game where Denver averaged just 2.8 yards per carry on the ground, his scoring run stood out as one of the few clean rushing highlights.
Coming off that performance and riding an eight-game winning streak into the bye, Payton used his Monday media session to underline which details matter down the stretch: penalties, turnover margin — and a running game he clearly believes can lean on McLaughlin.
Sean Payton Says McLaughlin Will Be ‘Important’ for Broncos’ Offense
When Payton was asked directly about the running game against the Chiefs, he didn’t dance around the struggles. He noted that the total number of carries was down and acknowledged that Denver didn’t get the volume on the ground it typically wants.
But within that answer, he zeroed in on McLaughlin. Payton said “Jal had a handful of good runs,” then pivoted to what that means going forward: with the “flow of a normal game,” McLaughlin is “going to be important for us in this stretch,” a comment he later echoed when discussing the backfield.
That’s notable for a Broncos team that has been searching for the right balance after losing J.K. Dobbins to a season-ending injury and turning to a smaller committee of backs. Analysts have already pointed out that the current trio of R.J. Harvey, McLaughlin and Tyler Badie is light on size and has struggled to generate consistent yardage between the tackles, including in the win over Kansas City.
Payton also went out of his way to praise fullback Adam Prentice, saying Prentice “played probably one of his better games” against the Chiefs, not only as a traditional fullback, but as a pass protector handling Kansas City’s pressure looks on third down. That’s a strong hint that Denver sees the run game as a backfield-plus-fullback operation, with McLaughlin’s burst paired with Prentice’s physical work.
What Payton’s McLaughlin Comments Mean for the Broncos’ Stretch Run
Big picture, Payton’s answer fits the message he said he delivered to the locker room after the bye: the Broncos are “in a position to compete for seeding,” and the details — penalties, turnovers and situational football — will decide where they land. A reliable run game built around multiple backs and a productive fullback is part of that formula.
McLaughlin brings something the rest of the room doesn’t consistently offer: instant juice. His 4-yard touchdown against the Chiefs was more about timing and execution than raw yardage, but it came at the end of the kind of long, methodical drive Payton wants when Denver needs to control the game.
If Payton follows through on his own words, McLaughlin’s role should stabilize — and possibly grow — as the Broncos come out of the bye and head into a tougher portion of the schedule. Denver sits at 9-2, on top of the AFC West and firmly in the mix for the conference’s No. 1 seed after beating Kansas City before a road trip to face the Washington Commanders on November 30 on Sunday Night Football.
For now, the head coach has sent his message: in a playoff race where every drive matters, he expects Jaleel McLaughlin to be a key part of how the Broncos close this thing out.
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