J.K. Dobbins doesn’t just need a good game in Week 5 - he may be the only Broncos runner who can jump-start this thing.
Denver’s ground attack has been stuck in neutral all season, and the numbers are ugly. The Broncos have the fourth-worst run game in the sport, and rookie running back Jonah Coleman being on IR hasn’t made that any easier to stomach.
Through the first four games, Denver has managed just 325 rush yards. At this point last year, the team had 573.
That kind of production is a problem no matter how pass-heavy the league gets. The run game is supposed to be the part of the offense that steadies everything else, opens up the pass and gives a team a chance to work off play-action. Right now, Denver doesn’t have that.
Dobbins was supposed to help fix it. Earlier in the season, he looked like the answer, averaging 5.0 yards per carry and tracking toward more than 1,300 rushing yards.
But the momentum has faded. He’s down to 3.5 yards per carry and is now on pace for 684 yards, a sharp drop from where he was headed in that 10-game stretch in 2025.
That’s why Week 5 looms so large. Sean Payton took back play-calling duties after just four games, a clear sign that the Broncos needed a shake-up. Denver sits at 2-2, but the offense has been near the bottom of the league in too many categories for comfort, and keeping that pace the rest of the year would leave the team with only two or three more wins, at best.
The matchup gives Denver something to work with. The Chargers have allowed the 11th-most rush yards in the sport this season, and they’ve given up 314 on the ground over the last two games alone. For a Broncos team that has been struggling to move the ball on the ground against everyone, that’s at least a reason to think this is the week things can finally start clicking.
Dobbins also has a little extra familiarity with this one. He’s a former Charger, and while nobody can say for sure whether that still fuels him, there’s at least some incentive there.
Last year, when the Broncos played the Chargers in Week 3, Dobbins posted 83 yards and a touchdown on just 11 touches. His 7.5 yards per carry that day was his best mark of the season.
So this feels like the moment. Denver has a lighter stretch ahead, the play-calling has changed, and the Broncos are still leaning on Dobbins to do the heavy lifting. He may not be a 15-carries-a-game back anymore, but he’s still probably the best runner on the roster.
If there’s a week for him to break through, this is it.
In Other News...
Broncos Starter Hit With Another Fine And Fans Will Have Opinions
Quinn Meinerz keeps finding himself on the league offices radar, and this latest issue has nothing to do with what he does between the lines. After already getting dinged earlier this season for his dice-rolling touchdown celebration, the Broncos guard has drawn another punishment, this time tied to a social media video that crossed a line with NFL policy.
The situation has an extra layer because the post centered on the drug-test collection process, a subject the league treats seriously even when a player may not have meant any harm. Meinerz is appealing the fine, so this one is not necessarily finished yet, and it adds another small off-field distraction for a Broncos team that is trying to keep its focus on the field after its Week 3 win over the Rams. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Defense Awaits A Big Week 5 Call On Ladd McConkey
The Broncos may get a break on the injury front in Week 5, with Chargers receiver Ladd McConkey showing up on Los Angeles injury report as the division matchup approaches. McConkey has been one of the more productive pieces of the Chargers passing game through four weeks, with 12 catches for 183 yards and a touchdown, so his status matters plenty to Denvers defense as it prepares for a familiar AFC West test.
McConkey is dealing with multiple injuries, and the early read is that he is likely to miss the game, which would force the Chargers to reshuffle targets in a meaningful spot. If he is sidelined, Los Angeles will be asking other pass catchers to pick up the slack, and Denver will be watching to see whether the offense can maintain its rhythm without one of its steadier options. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Can Exploit A Chargers Weakness That Could Swing This Game
The Broncos head into their matchup with the Chargers looking for a place to press an edge in what figures to be a tight division game, and the middle of the field may offer it. Los Angeles has had to sort through protection issues up front, with guard Oday Aboushi struggling, while Asante Samuel Jr. remains the kind of versatile defender who can complicate easy throws. Even so, Denvers defense will be alert to the Chargers tight-end usage, especially with Jared Gadsden emerging as a meaningful piece in the passing game despite a still-unclear role.
From Denvers side, the more intriguing opportunity may come when the Broncos have the ball and test where the Chargers are least settled defensively. Injuries have thinned that group enough to make linebacker Justin Phillips a potential coverage target, and that sort of matchup can tilt a game if Denver isolates it well. Whether the Broncos lean on RJ Harvey, Evan Engram or another option, this is the kind of wrinkle that could decide which sideline is left looking for answers late. [Read more 🡒]