Had Emmett “Doc” Brown been a football fan, he might have programmed the DeLorean about 10 years later than he did.

“Back to the Future” was released in the summer of 1985; so was Buddy Ryan’s famed ’46 Defense.’ The movie won at the box office; the Bears won in the trenches. Ryan’s defense stifled the entire NFL, and on offense, Walter Payton ran roughshod over everyone at a clip of just under 100 yards per game. A month into 1986, Chicago went on to win the Super Bowl – easily – over the Patriots.

Come to think of it, until this past Sunday night, that was the last time the Patriots truly got their butts kicked in the Super Bowl. Smash-mouth football killed the Pats on both occasions.

As the movie’s sequel goes, Doc Brown and his DeLorean arrived back in the future in 2015, the summer after Peyton Manning broke the all-time passing touchdowns record, and two seasons removed from Manning guiding the NFL’s most historically prolific offense. This must have been a shock to ol’ Doc after watching the physical defenses and run-heavy offenses of the ‘80s, a trend that lasted throughout the ‘90s.

Had the DeLorean landed amidst Bad Bunny’s halftime extravaganza – not all that far from Hill Valley, the California town Marty McFly called home – Doc would have recognized the football played in Super Bowl 60.

Tough, menacing defense? Check.

Game-managing quarterbacks? Check.

Team that runs the best wins? Check, mate.

Neither Doc nor Marty likely cared about the Denver Broncos, but one didn’t need to be a doctor or a rocket scientist to see that Denver – with Bo Nix – would have provided the Seahawks a better test. In fact, a healthier version of the Broncos would have nearly possessed all the key ingredients.

Denver’s defense held the Pats to fewer points two weeks prior to the Super Bowl.

Like Sam Darnold, who engineered the first-ever turnover-less playoff run, never turning the ball over once en route to a title, Bo Nix is a master at keeping possession of the pigskin. During the season, Darnold tossed 14 interceptions and had 11 fumbles. Nix, conversely, only had 11 picks and 4 fumbles; seems like the kind of guy who can win a Super Bowl.

Where the Broncos differ from the Seahawks, however, is in the run game. Sure, J.K. Dobbins would have been extremely useful in the AFC Championship Game, and hypothetically in the Super Bowl, but let’s not pretend the 2025 Broncos looked anything like the Cowboys of the mid-to-late 90s, where Emmitt Smith was handed the ball at a relentless rate. And while Dobbins was very good for the Broncos, Kenneth Walker III was flat-out great against the Patriots. In reality, the game’s most valuable “asset” was the Seahawks’ defense, but since the award goes to a single player, Walker was the only choice.

You know what’s crazier than trying to time a lightning strike perfectly with a DeLorean driving at 88 miles per hour?

The fact that prior to Walker III, Terrell Davis was the last running back to earn honors as Super Bowl MVP.

That’s been nearly three decades. What’s up with that, Doc?

For about that same amount of time – let’s say it all started when the NFL opted for rules that greatly diminished the effects of Mike Shanahan’s zone-blocking running scheme – the league has gone pass-happy. And while it sure has been fun, it feels like the pendulum is about to swing.

Aside from Patrick Mahomes, the game’s most electric gunslingers haven’t won jack. Josh Allen? Nada. Joe Burrow? Nope. Jalen Hurts and Nick Foles? Had a lot of help. Tom Brady is the GOAT, but he’s generally been a part of a very balanced concept. In fact, in 2007, the year he was statistically at his best, the Pats lost in the Super Bowl.

And this season, Drake Maye was pretty damn good, but wasn’t good enough in the postseason. Sam Darnold was picked up off the scrap heap by Seattle; he’s a great story, but not necessarily a great quarterback – but he was extremely reliable. The Seahawks won with defense, ball security and balance.

The team that most closely resembled Seattle this season was Denver.

Still, the Broncos don’t have the horses on the ground, nor were they committed to the run game.

If the Broncos don’t commit being better on the ground – Kenneth Walker III, ironically, is a free agent – they’ll be lucky to get back to an AFC title game.

The NFL has been zigging since T.D. ran the Broncos to their first ever world championship. It feels like the Seahawks just zagged – and it worked. It’s time for the Broncos, who have the requisite defense and quarterback already in place, to replicate what Seattle just did.

It’s time to get back to the future.

And run the ball.