Mile High Sports
It was a complete win. The Broncos 38-6 shellacking of the Atlanta Falcons left little to complain about. The offense did exactly what it needed against a suspect defense. The defense proved it could put a halt to one of the league’s most explosive offenses. And quarterback Bo Nix turned in a near-perfect game – his first 300-yard passing effort with four touchdowns to match.
Such a win leaves little to complain about. But there’s this one little thing…
Can the Broncos somehow get Marvin Mims Jr. the damn ball… more?
It should be noted that Sean Payton has been trying to do just that. His move a week ago against the Chiefs, lining Mims up in a true tailback position, was a step in the right direction.
“When you watch him return, you see him put his foot in the ground and you see his speed,” Payton explained.
Getting Mims the ball in the backfield, or even on a jet sweep, isn’t a bad idea. The problem, at least against Atlanta, is that the Falcons were ready for it. Mims rushing attempts were not a new wrinkle that caught the defense off guard. Against the Chiefs, Mims rushed for 17 yards on three carries, one of which exploded for 14 yards. Against Atlanta, his four carries netted just four yards; his first attempt went for a five-yard loss.
Still, the concept is a good one, as Mims might be the only Bronco with speed enough to turn little things into big things. That was evident on both of Mims pass completions against the Falcons.
On a 3rd-and-10 situation in the 2nd quarter, Payton drew up a creative look for his second-year receiver. Much like the Peyton Manning-led Broncos used to call the “bubble-screen” to get the ball in the hands of Demaryius Thomas, Nix made a quick throw to Mims on the left side with blockers in front of him. The speedy Mims turned the opportunity into a 37-yard completion, picking up the first down in the process.
Just before the first half came to a close, Payton called Mims’ number once again. On a similar screen to the right – this time inside the red zone – Mims made an easy catch but knifed through the Falcons defense en route to a touchdown, his first of the season.
To begin the second half, it was Mims again who gave the Broncos a spark. After the Broncos defense forced the Falcons to go three-and-out on their first possession of the half, Mims caught a punt on the Broncos 18-yardline and scampered to the Atlanta 45, setting Nix and Co. up nicely for what would eventually result a Troy Franklin touchdown.
Beating the Falcons was never in doubt, but it could be argued that in just three plays, Mims changed the entire complexion of the game.
The problem – that likely won’t be discussed in blowout win – is that Mims wasn’t targeted the rest of the game; his only...
