Marvin Mims Jr. knows he must ‘maintain patience’

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Marvin Mims Jr. was on pace for a 1,000-yard receiving season four games into his rookie season.

But his receiving-yardage production in 13 games since then since then wouldn’t even have him on pace for a 200-yard receiving season.

The vertical-threat promise he showed early last season — when he averaged 26.9 yards on 9 receptions, with 5 covering at least 30 yards — has evaporated. And last week, Mims played in a career-low 17 percent of the Broncos’ offensive snaps, with his 12 plays matching the dozen snaps he had in Week 6 at Kansas City last year for the fewest of his career to date.

That came on a day when the Broncos had just one pass play beyond 20 yards. Just two teams had fewer last week, So, it would be understandable if this frustrated Mims; taking the top off of a defense is what he did best during his opening flourish last season.

But he knows that the best course of action is to wait.

“You just kind of maintain patience, wait for things to open up, settle how they are,” Mims said.

“I mean, we got Bo (Nix) being a rookie quarterback, with the first game plan going out, we shouldn’t try to do too much. Tried to keep it a little basic.

“But as the season goes along, we’ll start opening up a little bit more and see what happens.”

And Sean Payton said that more opportunities will come for Mims.

“Obviously we anticipated him getting more than just 12,” Payton said, referring to the number of snaps Mims received last week. “A lot of it depends on how much of the game we’re playing in nickel on offense, three-receiver sets or base sets.

“That can vary, but I think you’ll see his pitch count week-to-week, depending on the team we’re playing, go up.”

23

Number of times that Marvin Mims Jr. has been targeted since Week 5 of the 2023 NFL season. That places him 13th among Broncos pass-catching targets in that span, and seventh among wide receivers, behind Devaughn Vele (8.0 on 8 targets in one game), Josh Reynolds (8.0), Courtland Sutton (5.69), Jerry Jeudy (5.38), Brandon Johnson (2.22) and Phillip Dorsett (2.0 on 2 targets in one game played).

With 331 snaps since Week 5 of last year, Mims ranks fourth among Broncos wide receivers, behind Sutton (632), Jeudy (540) and Lil’Jordan Humphrey (360).

Mims was targeted 2.75 times per game in Weeks 1-4 last year; since then, he’s been targeted just 1.77 times per game

Broncos WR Marvin Mims Jr., on being patient while trying to get a larger offensive role, said they tried to keep it “a little basic” in Week 1.

“You just kind of maintain patience, wait for things to open up, settle how they are. I mean, we got Bo being a rookie quarterback,… pic.twitter.com/y3Q1NBOOmg

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) September 12, 2024

6

Games since the start of last season in which the Steelers have forced at least 3 turnovers — including last week against Atlanta. No AFC teams and only one NFL team (Chicago) have more such games in that span.

Pittsburgh has 30 takeaways since the start of last season, a figure exceeded by only five teams. But the Steelers offense must also be vigilant, as the the Broncos aren’t far behind in forcing takeaways. They’ve extracted 28 since the start of the 2023 season, which ties them for eighth-best in the NFL.

19

Number of games since the start of 2020 in which T.J. Watt has posted 1.5 or more sacks, the highest such total in the NFL during that span.

Watt also leads the NFL in games with multiple sacks since the start of the 2023 season (6, tied with two other players) and he has recorded at least one sack in 12 games since the start of last season, which is also tied for the NFL lead.

But it’s not just in the pass rush where the Broncos must be vigilant. Right tackle Mike McGlinchey — who will be charged with containing Watt — knows he’s a plus player against the run, too.

“He’s one of those guys that’s a complete football player,” McGlinchey said. “He sets the edge well. He takes chances on the edge and he’s athletic enough to get back underneath it. He keeps you guessing out there in the run game. You can’t just recklessly run at him because he’s so smooth and athletic that he can bend around you and make those plays.”