If Sean Payton is finally down to run the ball, Broncos can be special

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton infamously wrote “Run It!!!” on his play-calling sheet against the Los Angeles Chargers last season.

It was a message from Payton to no one but himself.

The Broncos needed to grind it out on the ground to beat the Chargers.

Unfortunately, it didn’t work.

Denver had only 17 rushing attempts from its backs. QB Bo Nix threw the ball 40 times. And Los Angeles prevailed with a 34-27 victory.

Payton has done a lot of nice things during his two-plus seasons leading the Broncos. He’s returned the organization to respectability after the disaster that was the brief Nathaniel Hackett tenure.

However, one of the biggest criticisms of Sean Payton has been maybe he likes Nix too much. We know he fell in love with the quarterback during a private workout in Oregon before the 2024 NFL Draft. Payton identified his next Drew Brees, the guy who was going to help him capture an elusive second Lombardi Trophy.

Denver’s head coach made comments all summer that turned heads, including that Nix would be a top-5 QB in the NFL soon. It’s clear how much he believes in the 25-year-old.

That’s great and all, but if Payton is finally serious about running the ball, this year’s Broncos have a chance to be special. Perhaps, even Super Bowl level special, something Payton also was glad to talk about during the offseason.

We finally saw a glimpse of that on Monday Night Football against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Not only did Denver have its first 100-yard rusher of the Sean Payton era, but Nix was much better for it as well.

J.K. Dobbins went for 101 yards on only 16 carries. Rookie RJ Harvey chipped in 58 yards on 14 rushes. And wouldn’t you know it, Nix threw for more than 300 yards, a couple of touchdowns and ran for another.

Sure, the Bengals are bad, but this is the formula for success the Broncos and Payton have been lacking the last couple of years.

Now, they must stick with it.

It makes the entire offense more fluid. It makes Nix seemingly more comfortable. And it validates why Denver totally overhauled its running back room, drafting Harvey in the second-round and signing Dobbins late in free agency.

It sounds simple on paper, but in games, Payton hasn’t been able to stick with it. It’s like he can’t help himself, wanting to showcase Nix as much as possible, proving he made the smartest QB selection of them all.

What will really make people say that, whether it be the media or fans, is Sean Payton and the Broncos winning football games. Both in the regular season and the playoffs.

With the triumph over Cincinnati, Payton improved to 20-18 as head coach in Denver, 20-19 if you count the postseason loss to the Bills last January.

All of Broncos Country wants Nix to be the next John Elway or Peyton Manning, but they want another parade more. Championships, not QB success, are what this town craves. And running the ball and playing incredible defense should be the identity of this team.

On Sunday, Denver faces a huge test. Will Payton stick with the run against the defending champion Eagles, even if things go poorly early on? The last thing the Broncos need is to go down 10-0 or 14-0 and Payton abandons it. Nix throwing the ball 40-plus times in Philadelphia isn’t going to be a recipe for success.

What happened against the Bengals was a big step forward. Even at 61-years-old, Sean Payton can still learn lessons.

He may have wrote what he wrote on his play-sheet against the Chargers last December, but it finally clicked this September.

Do it again. Show the rest of the NFL you’re season about moving the football on the ground.

If so, even more victories await the Broncos.

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