Did the Broncos get their first glimpse of the offense they can become?

GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Broncos did exactly what a good team should do on the road against a struggling side. They won convincingly, and did so by seizing control of what would end up being a 30-16 win in all three phases on Sunday.

Yes, that was the Arizona Cardinals’ 10th-consecutive home loss. It also dropped them to 0-14 in their last 16 games played away from SoFi Stadium, where they defeated the Los Angeles Chargers and — somehow — the Rams seven days before the Broncos knocked them back to reality.

But it wasn’t THAT the Broncos won, or the fact that they did so against a Cardinals defense that entered the game as one of the league’s worst in most passing metrics — and dead last in passer rating allowed this season heading into Week 7.

It was the formula the Broncos utilized, specifically on offense, which didn’t have the benefit of any defensive takeaways as was the case in their wins over the Chargers and Seattle Seahawks earlier this month.

They found their explosive-play capability — starting with a 20-yard downfield pass from Bo Nix to Courtland Sutton on the first play from scrimmage that announced that this game was going to be different for an offense that had averaged just 196 yards over its previous two games since Sean Payton reclaimed play-calling responsibilities from offensive coordinator Davis Webb.

An offense that averaged just 1.8 plays of 20 or more yards per game in Weeks 1-6 had five Sunday.

Most dramatically, the attack that had mustered only one play of 40 or more yards in those first six games this season had three times as many on Sunday. And in the third quarter alone, the Broncos had two of them — a 52-yard touchdown screen pass to RJ Harvey and a 47-yard strike down the right flank to wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr.

Toss in Bo Nix’s 62-yard second-quarter scramble — the longest run in franchise history by a quarterback — and you have an attack that was finally able to get an opponent flailing and chasing for the first time since September.

None of the plays happened in a vacuum for the individuals credited with the yardage gained, of course. Nix benefitted from nearly all of the Broncos’ receiving targets being to his right and the Cardinals using man-to-man coverage, with no spy on him to prevent a potential scramble. Harvey scored because of his own speed, but also due to downfield blocks from Ben Powers, Quinn Meinerz and Troy Franklin.

“Yeah, it was a complementary day. I thought everybody kind of had a hand in it, which was awesome,” right tackle Mike McGlinchey said.

“… Something we can build upon and Definitely can hit the ground running with a little confidence from this one and yeah, it was a full team effort on the offensive side of the ball — and it was awesome to see.”

But it was more than just the chunk plays that provided a glimpse of what could be.

BEYOND THE EXPLOSIVE PLAYS, THE BRONCOS HAVE FOUND A TANK

Rookie running back Jonah Coleman was missed in the last four games — at least as much as it is possible to miss a player who had just 13 regular-season touches to his name before Sunday, all of which came against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2.

He revealed after amassing 69 yards on 11 touches Sunday that he played the entire game against the Jaguars on the injured ankle. Coleman was still able to grind down the Jaguars; on two healthy legs Sunday against Arizona, he delivered punch after punch.

“I felt great right from the get-go,” Coleman said after his successful return from a four-week stint on injured reserve. “I wasn’t going to play if I didn’t feel right.

“Once I got the first reception, I was like, ‘OK, let’s go.'”

When he got his opportunities, he rarely stopped.

“He looked great this week at practice and it was no surprise to us that he had success today,” McGlinchey said.

“He looked really good,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said. “Have to get him more touches, definitely.”

That process may already be under way. Coleman led the Broncos’ running backs in snaps Sunday with 30; Harvey had 16 snaps and J.K. Dobbins had 14. And he had half of the total of 22 touches by Broncos running backs — nine carries and two receptions.

There was no easing Coleman back from his four-week stint on injured reserve. And his workload may increase from here, as he got stronger as the game progressed, averaging 7.0 yards on his final seven carries of the day — all of which came in the game’s final 19 minutes.

Hanging over matters in the running-back room are trade rumors regarding Indianapolis’ Jonathan Taylor. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the Broncos as one of four teams expected to show interest in the Colts’ stalwart seventh-year running back.

But Coleman demonstrated Sunday that the Broncos might have the answer they seek already in their midst. The trade deadline isn’t until Nov. 10, so two more games exist between now and then.

That’s two more chances against more rigorous opposition to show that the outburst Sunday in Arizona wasn’t a fluke — and that the Broncos might have found a plan that works, solely with the components they already have on hand.

Sunday’s win wasn’t an answer to all the questions. But it potentially got the Broncos a step closer to the solution to their early-season ills.

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