Broncos' Offense Needs More Marvin Mims Jr. With Bo Nix Out

Jarrett Stidham is going to need Marvin Mims Jr.'s game-changing ability vs. the Patriots.

Jan 17, 2026; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. (19) reacts after a play during overtime of an AFC Divisional Round playoff game against the Buffalo Bills at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

While Bo Nix's season-ending injury and Jarrett Stidham's subsequent ascension to the starting quarterback job have driven the news cycle, another key storyline is the Denver Broncos' increasingly thin reserves at wide receiver.

In the Broncos' 33-30 Divisional Round win over the Buffalo Bills, the injuries to Pat Bryant and Troy Franklin put the onus on Marvin Mims Jr. and Lil'Jordan Humphrey to pick up the slack, and they both embraced the challenge. Mims and Humphrey came up big for the Broncos, each scoring a touchdown.

“Just all year, just find ways to win. Huge, different ways. You've got three receivers out [there]: me, ‘L.J.’ (Humphrey), and ‘Court’ (Courtland Sutton). We've got to stay in the whole game and find a way to win," Mims said following the game. "Both find a way to make plays."

While Humphrey dropped a perfect Nix pass that would have been a touchdown in the first quarter, he made up for it with his own score toward the end of the second quarter. Mims came up huge for the Broncos throughout the game, finishing with eight receptions for 93 yards and a touchdown.

Not many people would have had a Mims and a Humphrey touchdown on their Divisional Round bingo card before the game. But it exemplified this team's trend of finding new ways to win games seemingly each week.

"Just a typical thing for us, you know, just figure out ways, different ways to win. It's been huge for us all season," Mims said. "So just going through this game today, I mean, none of us budge. We all knew we all had each other's backs. We all trusted each other.” 

Mims undoubtedly delivered. Beyond the reception yardage, he drew a pass interference call on Tre'Davious White in overtime, giving the Broncos 30 yards and setting Wil Lutz up for the chip-shot field goal that punched their ticket to the AFC championship game, where they'll host the New England Patriots.

Prior to even getting into the overtime period, Mims caught a 26-yard touchdown on a dime from Nix that gave the Broncos a three-point lead with 55 seconds left in the fourth quarter. The genesis of that double move that he scored on came from an epiphany in the film room.

Having run the move successfully on Pro Bowl cornerback Patrick Surtain II in the not-too-distant past, Broncos head coach Sean Payton gave Mims the confidence that he could pull it off against anyone, including the Bills. 

“We got close to that 50-yard line, they started running a lot of man [coverage] and Bo even said like, ‘Hey, like, these guys are about to run a man on us.’ So he started checking different plays and stuff, giving guys opportunities to make plays," Mims said. "On that catch, there's a play we've been working on, so I ran it in rookie camp. We actually watched the film this week, and we ran it in rookie camp. Coach Payton loved the play, and he called it and ended up working out for us.” 

MARVIN MIMS JR. FOR THE LEAD

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Broncos Need Mims Now More Than Ever

Jan 17, 2026; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. (19) catches a touchdown against Buffalo Bills cornerback Dane Jackson (23) during the fourth quarter of an AFC Divisional Round playoff game at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Moving forward, Mims will surely be seeing his number called even more, especially if the Broncos' injury crisis at wide receiver room doesn't clear up this week. Mims has kept a full plate all year because he's also pulling double duty returning kicks and punts.

Payton pulled his star return man from kick return duties after the Broncos' receiving corps was decimated vs. Buffalo. And since the Bills never punted, Payton didn't have to change anything there.

"Both teams were nicked up. They were nicked up coming in, and we got nicked up quick," Payton said. "Pat is out, and then pretty soon Troy Franklin’s out, and then you’re down to three receivers. We took Mims off kick return after that happened." 

Having taken a blow to his back on his touchdown play, due to a protruding camera lens lurking in the corner of the end zone, Mims was still running the injury gauntlet, but he managed to return to the lineup to deliver electric results in overtime. 

Mims missed time during the season with an unfortunate concussion suffered at the tail end of the Broncos' Week 8 win over the Dallas Cowboys. After Mims' huge game against the Bills, Broncos tight end Evan Engram raved about just how resilient the third-year receiver always is, and how his toughness has been his calling card all season long. 

“‘Marv’ has been balling all season. I know he’s been, he’s been battling stuff with his body," Engram said post-game of Mims. "It’s football and guys get banged up, but for him to, for him to have… The things that he’s gone through physically, but he continues just to show up. He had a big third-down play... just an all-time performance from him tonight for sure.” 

When the AFC championship game against the Patriots rolls around on Sunday, Mims might not return kicks, but the upside he brings to Stidham and the offense as a dynamic pass-catcher must take precedence.