The Denver Broncos are in cruise control heading towards their first division title in a decade and playing one of the worst teams in the league in Week 14, at least in terms of win-loss records. But Sean Payton cannot allow his team to get away from its focus when they head to Las Vegas to face the 2-10 Raiders.
It looks like a lopsided matchup on paper and it should be. The Broncos are the much better football team. However, when these two teams played about a month ago, the Broncos barely escaped with an ugly 10-7 victory. But there is plenty to play for in this game, including the chance to earn a key tiebreaker over the New England Patriots.
But the Broncos should also be focused on one other key area and that is running the football and trying to find as much success as possible with it.
Rookie running back RJ Harvey had a big game last week against the Washington Commanders, scoring two touchdowns, and as of right now, he leads all rookies in touchdowns this season with eight. But all of that hasn't settled a Broncos fanbase that is still concerned about the loss of J.K. Dobbins, who was helping pace the offense.
Curiously, the Broncos chose not to add another running back during their bye week, though they reportedly made a run at Dameon Pierce, who ultimately signed with the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Broncos are now led by a rookie in Harvey, which goes against Sean Payton's usual plan of attack, and the backup running backs are Jaleel McLaughlin and Tyler Badie. That is a combination of inexperience and lack of size that could easily catch up to the team in the postseason, where colder weather and nasty elements often need to be attacked with a sound running game.
Harvey could quell some of those fears with a strong performance against the Raiders, who are giving up 110.8 yards per game on the ground. Though it won't be cold in Vegas, it is always a tough environment for the Broncos to play the Raiders on the road.
Though he found the end zone twice last week, Harvey ran for just 35 yards on 13 carries and he has averaged less than three yards per carry in each of his last four games. This will be his chance to show that he can carry the load and that the team does not need any more depth before the playoffs start.
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The Broncos must find a way to have Harvey pace the offensive attack in this game. They need to find out how effective he can really be in that No. 1 role. However, if he has another outing in which he averages less than three yards per carry and the running game is stagnant as a whole, the team really needs to consider a veteran option to chip in during the playoffs.
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