Intro by Doug Ottewill

The Bo Nix Era is officially upon us. When the Denver Broncos take the field against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, all eyes will most certainly be on Nix.

Perhaps, however, the gaze should shift a little further back – to the guys lining up behind him.

Omaha Productions, the film company founded and fueled by Peyton Manning, recently came out with a docuseries called “Receiver.” Manning kicks off the first episode by claiming that the wide receiver is a quarterback’s best friend. While it’s hard to disagree, in the case of Nix, it may be his running backs who are responsible for making his rookie campaign “friendly.”

Simply put, if the Broncos ground game is effective, plenty of the pressure on Nix will be reduced.

So, while the talk has been, and will continue to be, about Nix, it might make sense to examine what will be taking place in the backfield. Here’s what our MHS experts believe.

Cody Roark
The run game will be imperative for the Broncos. Seattle was awful against the run last season and, like Denver, is hoping that some of those problems have been solved. They added Byron Murphy to the mix alongside Leonard Williams. I think you’ll see an early dose of Javonte Williams, followed by Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime in various situations like red zone, short-yardage situations. I’ve got Denver covering and the O/U hitting the under.

Dan Mohrmann
So much has been made about Bo Nix in the preseason that it feels like he’s just going to roll in the front door and start firing off 400-yard, 3 touchdown games. Ain’t gonna happen. Bo will get more comfortable if the running game can keep Seattle’s defense honest. If Javonte Williams can go for 120 and Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime can add another 100 to the total, the Broncos might get out of the Pacific Northwest at 1-0. The Broncos are going to be interesting this season, but it’s still very much a learning year. From a betting standpoint, I can be talked into taking the 6 points (but the Seattle money line is probably a safer bet). The under also feels like the play in this one.

Mark Knudson
First, atmosphere aside, it won’t just be this week that the Broncos have to run the ball effectively to win. This year, with a rookie QB and what’s likely to be a limited (as in, take very few chances) passing game, running the ball needs to be the Broncos season-long identity. Probably see a heavy dose of Javonte Williams with Jaleel McLaughlin as the third down/changeup guy. Seattle will want to force Bo Nix into long yardage, and make him beat the Seahawks with deep pass attempts. If that happens, Denver loses big. Second, aren’t a lot of betting lines based on “trends?” There aren’t any yet. Wagering on the first week of games is foolish. Preseason games mean almost nothing in the big picture, so we don’t have any idea what to expect from either team. Rookie head coach vs. rookie QB? I guess if a gun was to my head I’d take the home team and the under, but only with Ottewill’s money.