Broncos' Rushing Explosion Came at the Ideal Time with Eagles Up Next

J.K. Dobbins rushed for over 100 yards in the Denver Broncos' Week 4 win, and the rushing explosion came at the ideal fork in the road.

Sep 29, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) hands the ball off to Denver Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins (27) during the third quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Empower Field at Mile High. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The Denver Broncos went 38 straight games without a 100-yard rusher entering Week 4's tilt vs. the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football. However, the Broncos finally got the first individual running back over the century mark since the beginning of Sean Payton's time as head coach in their dominant win over the Bengals.

J.K. Dobbins finished with 101 rushing yards on 16 carries (6.3 avg). While it was great to hit the mark, this game was the opportune time to get the ground game rolling.

There was a focus from Payton and the Broncos' offense on getting tight ends and running backs involved in Monday night's 28-3 win over the Bengals — not only in the running game but also in the passing game. If the Broncos didn’t make it a focus this week, it could’ve led to a long season for this team, even though we're only four weeks in. 

However, if the Broncos hadn't prioritized those aspects of their offense, the amount of travel they face over the coming weeks would have made it even harder. Plus, this was a Monday night game. Given that the MNF game results in a short week and that the Broncos are set to travel for their most challenging game of the season, the ground game will have to do some heavy lifting.

The Philadelphia Eagles are a tough team, but they're made to be even tougher with an early game against Denver coming on a short week. It would be challenging to focus on the tight end and running back involvement on a short week, while preparing for the toughest team on the schedule. 

Kudos to Payton for making that a focus against the Bengals, which, without Joe Burrow, was an easier matchup. Payton's approach was also smart, ensuring it didn’t cost the game and staying balanced until the Broncos secured a big lead. They even ended with 42 passes to 38 rushes. 

Denver got Dobbins going, and while he had explosive runs before this week, this was by far his most efficient week. His rushing total wasn’t a bunch of unsuccessful runs lifted by one or two explosive carries. That's the kind of balance Denver needed to find with Dobbins. 

What happens next for the Broncos? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second, sign up for our free newsletter, and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!

Denver Broncos running back RJ Harvey (12) runs the ball before being pulled down by Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Dax Hill (23) in the second quarter of the NFL Week 4 Monday Night Football game between the Denver Broncos and the Cincinnati Bengals at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver on Monday, Sept. 29, 2025. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Payton also made it a focus to get RJ Harvey up to speed as a runner and a receiver, though the rookie was a boom-or-bust runner on Monday night. His play as a receiver, though, showed the flashes, and while there are still things to work on, he got close to breaking multiple catches for long gains. 

Denver will need these backs to continue stepping up over the coming weeks, and not only because of the upcoming game against the Eagles. The Broncos also travel to London and then back to Denver in the following two weeks after the Eagles game.

That's a lot of travel, and the Broncos' run game is going to be needed to help balance out the jet lag, which tends to impact the passing attack more than the run game, based on historical data from overseas games. 

Even so, Payton and the Broncos worked to get the tight ends involved in the passing game, accounting for 13 of the 42 passes. There wasn’t much success, with just eight catches for 66 yards, and even that stat line was lifted by one 26-yard catch and run. 

There is still a lot of work to be done to get the tight ends more involved, but the Broncos took the necessary steps with the running backs in the passing attack and the overall run game. The Broncos can continue to work on refining the tight-end impact, but they got the run game going, which was an absolute must with the travel they have coming up.