Here’s a look at which stock improved or declined after the Broncos’ 34-18 win over the Raiders on Sunday.
Stock Up
Special teams: Denver’s special teams unit had another strong afternoon. Punter Riley Dixon had three punts land inside the 20-yard line. Meanwhile, the Broncos had solid returns from wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. and cornerback Tremon Smith. In the first quarter, Smith had a 38-yard kick return to Denver’s 41-yard line. With 10:08 to go in the third, Mims had a 38-yard punt return to midfield, setting up the Broncos’ 6-play, 50-yard scoring drive to take a 20-10 lead.
RB Javonte Williams: Is Williams back? Denver’s starting running back has totaled 138 rushing yards in the last two games after 52 in the Broncos’ first three. Williams was one of the best offensive players on the field against Las Vegas. He had 13 carries for 61 yards and caught five passes for 50 yards. He took advantage of the Raiders’ poor run defense, forcing nine missed tackles, according to Next Gen Stats. The next step for Williams is getting into the end zone, where there seems to be a plexiglass wall standing between him and the goal line. He hasn’t had a rushing touchdown since Denver’s 2023 season finale.
Red zone offense: The Broncos capitalized on solid field position. They were 3 for 3 in goal-to-go situations — a key ingredient to winning football that was a problem with Russell Wilson at quarterback last season. Running back Jaleel McLaughlin scored on a 4-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter before quarterback Bo Nix was responsible for two touchdowns in the fourth. In the last three games, Denver has gone 6 for 9 in the red zone and 4 for 4 in goal-to-go situations.
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Second-half defense: Denver gave up 10 points and 226 total offensive yards in the first half, then locked in to secure the victory. In the second half against Las Vegas, the Broncos gave up eight points and 104 total yards while recording two turnovers. The Broncos played lights out in the third quarter when they kept the Raiders scoreless and held them to 18 total yards. After the Broncos gave up 110 rushing yards in the first half, they held Las Vegas to five yards on the ground in the final two quarters.
Stock Down
TE Greg Dulcich: The Broncos made an interesting decision ahead of Sunday’s game when they opted to activate Lucas Krull for his season debut ahead of Dulcich. Denver has long talked about Dulcich making an impact on offense, but he had only five catches for 28 yards over the first four weeks. In an attempt to shake things up with the tight ends, they made Dulcich inactive. The results? Krull had one catch for 5 yards, while Adam Trautman tacked on a 19-yard grab. It’s clear that the Broncos haven’t received the production they hoped for from that group. The question moving forward is what’s next for Dulcich? Was his healthy scratch a one-time thing? Or is he being phased out?
Offensive line depth: The most important unit on Denver’s roster took a major hit on Sunday, with right tackle Alex Palczewski and center Luke Wattenberg both sustaining injuries. Even starting left tackle Garett Bolles was shaken up and evaluated by trainers before returning to the game. Payton was pleased by how Matt Peart and Alex Forsyth filled in. But with Mike McGlinchey still on the injured reserve, there’s concern about Denver’s offensive line, especially since the group has been playing well as of late.
Third down offense…again: Despite all the good things the Broncos did offensively, they struggled to move the ball on third down yet again. Denver was 3 for 12 on third down against the Raiders. In the last two games, the Broncos have gone 6 for 26 on third down and have the second-worst conversion percentage (24.6%) in the league through five weeks.
Travis Hunter to Denver hype train: It’s still early in the season, but Denver’s performance during its three-game win streak is an indicator for Broncos Country to temporarily silence hopes for Colorado’s Travis Hunter to wear orange and blue next season. Hunter, an early Heisman Trophy favorite, has the potential to be a top-three pick in the 2025 NFL draft. If the Broncos defense keeps playing the way they have, it’s hard to imagine the team being bad enough to have an opportunity to take the dual-threat star.
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