ENGLEWOOD, CO — After a historic drubbing at the hands of the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, the Denver Broncos destroyed the tape, burnt some sage, and have moved on to focus on the Chicago Bears matchup this Sunday.
Denver Broncos eager to wash bad taste of historic blowout out of their mouths
Sunday’s loss to the Miami Dolphins felt like rock bottom for the Denver Broncos. This Sunday’s Week 4 matchup against the Chicago Bears (0-3) gives them the chance to get a little bit of that bad taste out of their mouth.
Denver’s offense and Russell Wilson haven’t been why the team is 0-3. When glancing at the Weekly Release previewing Sunday’s matchup, the Broncos’ defense is in the red in almost every major statistical category after the Dolphin’s 726-yard day and 70-point output.
While players were frustrated and disappointed in Sunday’s outcome, many have expressed a desire to work even harder to turn things around. There isn’t a present sense of panic from players in the locker room.
“I understand that Sunday was not what we wanted it to be, but to come in here and hang your head three games into the season is crazy to me,” Broncos offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey said. “We’re trying to figure this thing out. Obviously, it’s Year 1 of our tenure with coach [Sean] Payton and we’re all trying to figure this thing out and grow as this process goes on. To come in here and act like the sky is falling or the season’s over after three weeks is absolutely insane.”
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Denver’s defense will have to find their footing this week against an ailing Bears offense led by Justin Fields.
“Today was our first practice,” Payton said. “Every one of us gets inundated with text messages of support. Oftentimes, they’re [from] people that care for you. You read them sometimes and you’re like, ‘Man, this is what we do for a living. No one passed away. We’ll get through it.’ Then periodically, you get one or two that are just special. Every one of these guys are the same way. You have to work your way out of this. It starts with getting the first win. I said this after the game last week—the next week can’t come quick enough. I think that’s where we’re at.”
Broncos official injury report from Wednesday
Reinforcements could be on the way soon for the Denver Broncos in the secondary.
After missing last week with a hip injury, Broncos safety and team captain Justin Simmons was back at practice for the media viewing portion on Wednesday. His missing presence was felt on the backend of the secondary last week.
Players spotted on the team’s side field on Wednesday included the following players:
- Outside linebacker Frank Clark
- Defensive tackle Mike Purcell
- Cornerback K’Waun Williams
- Safety P.J. Locke
- Offensive Tackle Alex Palczewski
- Outside linebacker Baron Browning
- Tight End Greg Dulcich
- Inside linebacker Josey Jewell
Following practice, the team released their official injury and practice participation report.
Did Not Participate:
Frank Clark – hip.
Josey Jewell – hip.
Mike Purcell – ribs.
Limited:
Jerry Jeudy – knee.
Justin Simmons – hip.
Chicago Bears Injury Report:
Defensive back Josh Blackwell (hamstring) – DNP.
Defensive back Eddie Jackson (foot) – DNP.
Defensive back Jaylon Johnson (hamstring) – DNP.
Defensive back Tyrique Stevenson (illness) – FULL.
Broncos offense has to find a way to incorporate Marvin Mims even more
Marvin Mims has been a bright spot for the Denver Broncos through the first three weeks of play. His explosiveness is easily visible on the tape, but what’s even more impressive about Mims is the little fundamental details that allow him to play freely.
His vertical speed is noticeable, but his leverage and height while running his routes make it hard for opposing defensive backs to read whether or not he’s running the 9-route or about to plant his foot into the turf to break inside or outside.
After having a breakout game in Week 2 against the Washington Commanders, where he hauled in two catches for 113 yards and a touchdown, he didn’t see a single target in the second half.
Last week, Mims hauled in three catches for 73 yards and a 99-yard kick return touchdown in Sunday’s loss to the Miami Dolphins. The downside of his season so far is that he’s only seen limited snaps in comparison to other Broncos wide receivers.
He only saw 15 total offensive snaps on Sunday, which equated to 24% of the offense’s snaps in total. Payton touched on Mims snap counts and usage following Wednesday’s practice.
“He is,” Payton said regarding whether or not Mims is more part of the game plan now. “It’s a tough challenge each week when you start looking at [WR Marvin] Mims [Jr.], [WR Jerry] Jeudy and the other receivers. He’s someone that we don’t just view as a return specialist. We felt like when we drafted him, he had a really good deep-ball skill set. He can run. Tonight, when we finish here, we’re going to do third down. We will do 3rd-and-two to three, four to six, seven to 10. With every play that we put in, we talk about primary, secondary and where the touches are coming for [WR] Courtland [Sutton] or Jeudy or Mims or whoever’s in that personnel grouping. I would say a month ago—I don’t want to say we were less certain, it was just a little bit less defined at that time with him coming off an injury and then getting back into it. He’s doing well.”
His speed and the looming threat of him getting behind defenses is a valuable tool that Payton can use, making it paramount that the rookie sees more snaps going forward.
On top of that, the Broncos are also bringing in former New Orleans Saints wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith for a visit, as first reported by 9News’ Mike Klis.
Smith played for the Saints for five seasons and started in 29 games while playing under Sean Payton directly. He hauled in 112 receptions in his four seasons playing for Payton, 1486 yards, and 17 touchdowns. 80 of his 112 receptions were catches that moved the chains for a first down.
If Smith decides to sign, how this impacts the dynamics of the receiver room will be interesting, but more importantly, it shouldn’t impact Mims’ potential high volume and usage.