Mile High Report
Denver Broncos All-Pro returner Marvin Mims Jr. has been named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after his stellar performance against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 14.
This is the third time in his career that Mims has won this award and is the most by a return specialist in Broncos’ history. The highlight of the game came on a 48-yard punt return for a touchdown that shows Mims stopped and looking like he would be tackled, only to burst through the pile to an explosive game-changing touchdown in the second quarter.
Mims is again on his way to another All-Pro selection as a return specialist. He leads the NFL in punt return yards with a 16.4 yard average on returns and another 26.3 yards per return on kick offs. He also leads the NFL in punt returns of 20+ yards. The guy is just that good.
He is also a guy that head coach Sean Payton will be looking to get more involved in the offense down the stretch.
“I think you recall, I think he was our first draft pick, George [Paton] and I,” Payton recalled this week. “I remember there were two things we felt… It’s been embedded in me: the quickest way to improve a team is the kicking game and get the offensive line squared away. We didn’t have a returner. I remember when we were watching his film, we knew he was a captain at Oklahoma. We knew he was an accomplished receiver, but he was also we felt one of the better returners, if not the best returner, in the draft. When you check those vision boxes, the way we were able to with him.”
Payton added that Mims has brought more to the locker room than even they expected.
“Then I would say he’s exceeded our expectation as to what type of guy he is, how he works, what kind of teammate he is,” the coach said. “Honestly just coming out of a staff meeting, we have to continue to find more touches for him on the offensive side of the ball, and we’ll do that.”
Mims has certainly exceeded expectations in the return game and many of us will recall how big he showed up during the Broncos late season run into the playoffs last year. That 93-yard touchdown comes to mind. Hopefully we see more of that show up here in these final four games of the season.
