The Denver Broncos’ run game is swinging from awesome to awful, and head coach Sean Payton is absolutely not here for it after their latest preseason game against the Green Bay Packers. That whole “electric rushing attack” we saw against the Falcons? Yeah, that totally vanished, making last week’s poll on the run game pretty much useless.
One Week Up, Next Week Down: The Rollercoaster Ride
It’s just how things are going for the run game in Denver: one week they’re up, the next they’re down. Sure, these were both preseason games against different defenses, so you gotta filter everything through that lens. But still, the contrast is stark. We saw Jonah Coleman make an impressive NFL debut in that first preseason matchup, averaging a sweet six yards per carry, and that definitely earned him the “most impressive performance” vote from Broncos Country. That was fun to watch, no doubt. But then came the Packers game. While guys like Bo Nix or Jaylen Waddle might’ve had decent performances, the rushing attack was just… missing. And that, folks, is seriously concerning, preseason or not.
Payton’s Not Happy, and He’s Not Hiding It
Sean Payton is beyond concerned. He laid it all out after the loss, pulling no punches. “Obviously that wasn’t good enough. There weren’t a lot of things… I said this after the game,just pick a topic. Pick penalties, we lose there, kickoff, kickoff return, we lose that battle; rushing numbers, we lose that. We can’t just say, ‘Hey, this is preseason [game] two,’” Payton vented. He made it clear that “Each phase saw their share of what ended up being the final score. So tomorrow we’ve got to be able to come in, coaches the same way, and look closely at what we’re doing and get the corrections made. You can’t not pay attention to these games, these scrimmages, these important steps towards the start of the regular season.” And believe me, he was especially ticked off about those rushing totals, knowing they led to way too many third-and-long situations. “Yes, it wasn’t good. It wasn’t good. We’ll look at the tape, but we had too many minus plays, too many penalties offensively,” he added, frustrated. “I don’t know how many third-and-10 or more we had, but quite a bit, right?” That’s a coach who knows his team isn’t cutting it right now.
This isn’t just “preseason fluff” for Payton. He sees these games as critical steps towards the regular season. For Denver, the clock is ticking. Can they figure out this run game and clean up the penalties before the real games start? They absolutely have to, or it’s going to be a long season of third-and-longs and frustrated coaches.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Mile High Report.
Leave a Reply