The Denver Broncos unfortunately had to watch the NFL Divisional Playoffs from home, but if they and head coach Sean Payton were paying attention to the games, there was a lot they could learn from the teams who played and those who advanced into the Final Four.
Three things the Denver Broncos can learn from the NFL Divisional Playoffs
Saturday and Sunday’s slate of games in the AFC and NFC painted several clear pictures about what the Denver Broncos have to do in order to progress further than the Wildcard rounds. Offensively and defensively, this weekend’s games revealed where they could upgrade their personnel.
Denver Broncos have to find an elite-level rusher or someone who has elite level potential
One thing that we saw in this weekend’s slate of NFL games was how having a dynamic running back can change everything, especially in inclement weather.
Saquon Barkley’s impact for the Philadelphia Eagles has been something that’s helped them overcome games where they’ve had struggles or inconsistencies in other areas. In inclement weather, Barkley protected the football and found ways to run the ball effectively, rushing for over 200 yards.
Denver’s offensive line is good, and the film showcases their ability to open holes, but the Broncos run game never took off because of the constant mixing of personnel and rushers not consistently seeing the holes open up.
It’s also relevant to point out that Denver may benefit from adding some wrinkles into their run game scheme. In 2024, we didn’t see many concepts where the Broncos pulled Quinn Meinerz from right to left or Ben Powers from left to right. Baltimore, Philadelphia, Detroit, and Buffalo pull often and their rushing success is a product of that element benefitting their scheme.
Another thing those four teams have is an elite-level rusher. The Ravens have Derrick Henry, who they surprisingly decided not to hand the ball off to on the two-yard line for a potential game-tying two-point conversion. Buffalo has James Cook, who had his way against the Broncos and Ravens defense. Even though they lost, the Lions have a dynamic game-changer with Jahmyr Gibbs, and of course, the Eagles have Saquon.
This weekend’s games showcased the need for Denver’s scheme to evolve and perhaps the personnel of their running back room to evolve as well. Many have hinted at a bell-cow approach, but that is hard to find in today’s game.
“I don’t know if we ever found that right,” Payton said. “I understand the committee. I’m used to having two [running backs]. We’re going to have more than just one back. We’re going to stack that position group. It’s too hard in our league to play with just one, rarely does a team do it. Occasionally it happens. Certainly we’ll have a chance to evaluate when we get to the offseason evaluation process where we feel like we are at with each position, certainly that’s an important position.”
We’ll see how big of a priority this position becomes for them in March and April.
Denver’s defense needs a rangy linebacker
Another thing that stood out over the weekend is the importance of the Broncos’ defense finding a linebacker who can be a rangy, sideline-to-sideline type of player for them and somebody who can spy some of the more athletic quarterbacks in the league.
The Bills used Matt Milano as a spy for Bo Nix in the AFC Wildcard round and also against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens on Sunday. Players like Milano, Alex Anzalone, and Fred Warner provide that feature for their teams and it’s hard to find a prototypical linebacker who can excel not only against stopping the run but also being able to read their keys, react to a run, or react to drop back into coverage and climb to a depth between five to 20-yards and pursue sideline to sideline.
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Trying to find a player who can do these things could help take the Broncos defense to the next level.
Could Drew Sanders become that for the Broncos as an in-house option? It’s possible, but he bulked up to play off the edge last year.
With Denver’s improvement on the defensive line last offseason, improving the second level of the defense becomes one of their most important priorities of the offseason.
Playing turnover-free in the playoffs is even more crucial
One of the common themes from this weekend’s games is how impactful turnovers were. The Baltimore Ravens had three turnovers, the Detroit Lions had five, and the Los Angeles Rams had two. Compared to their opponents, the Buffalo Bills, Washington Commanders, and Philadelphia Eagles didn’t turn the football over once.
The Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans had a bit of an anomaly where neither team turned the ball over. Inclement weather was also a factor in the Bills-Ravens and Rams-Eagles matchup.
Protecting the football and finding more ways to generate takeaways defensively are going to be key for the Broncos in advancing further in the postseason. When you look at the outcome of nearly every divisional game minus Kansas City and Houston, turnovers doomed the teams who lost.
If the Denver Broncos paid close enough attention to the games this weekend, these things more than likely stood out to them. Now, the bar for them is set even higher going into 2025.
