Is the NFL’s Power Run Game Making a Comeback? The Broncos-and Sean Payton-Are at a Crossroads
Let’s be clear: the NFL is still a quarterback-driven league. But if you’ve been paying attention, there’s a noticeable shift happening. The pendulum might just be swinging back toward the power run game-and the evidence is starting to pile up.
Take Seattle’s Super Bowl LX win, for example. Yes, they had one of the league’s most dynamic receivers in Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
But when it came down to it, the Seahawks won with defense and a punishing ground attack. Kenneth Walker III, a pending free agent, gashed the Patriots for 135 yards, most of it coming between the tackles.
It was old-school football in a new-school era-and it worked.
Walker was one of 17 backs to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards this past season. Only eight of those backs made the playoffs, but that number doesn’t tell the whole story.
The Ravens’ Derrick Henry and the Colts’ Jonathan Taylor were both in striking distance of the postseason before injuries to their starting quarterbacks-Lamar Jackson and Daniel Jones-derailed their teams’ chances. And the Lions?
With Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery pounding defenses weekly, they still missed the playoffs, easily one of the season’s biggest letdowns.
But here’s where things get really interesting: look at the teams that leaned into the run game from a play-calling standpoint. Of the 11 teams with the most rushing attempts last season, eight made the postseason.
That’s 73 percent. The Ravens were fourth in that category, and likely would’ve been in the mix if not for Jackson’s injury.
Even the Commanders, who ranked ninth, had the foundation of a playoff team before Jayden Daniels missed 10 games in a season that never quite stabilized.
And then there’s Denver.
The Broncos’ ground game was promising-on paper. But after J.K.
Dobbins went down with a hip-drop tackle injury just 10 games into the season, Denver’s run game lost its identity. The team finished 19th in rushing attempts, and the drop-off was noticeable.
Without a reliable presence between the tackles, Denver all but abandoned the run in key moments-including the most crucial play of their AFC Championship loss.
That play is already infamous in Broncos country. Fourth-and-short.
A chance to go up two scores. Instead of taking the chip-shot field goal, head coach Sean Payton rolled the dice-opting for a rollout pass with a backup quarterback against an obvious blitz.
The result? A broken play, a turnover on downs, and a season-ending loss that left fans stunned.
Payton’s decision-making on that play wasn’t an outlier-it was a reflection of his philosophy. Denver ranked 21st in the NFL in run-play percentage (41.7%). Only Mike Tomlin’s Steelers, who were bounced in the Wild Card round by Houston in a 30-6 blowout, ran the ball less among playoff teams.
The Broncos’ offense, meanwhile, leaned heavily on the arm of second-year quarterback Bo Nix. He led the league in dropbacks with 669-more than even MVP Matt Stafford, Jared Goff, or Dak Prescott.
And this wasn’t a one-year anomaly. As a rookie, Nix was sixth in the league in dropbacks.
When in doubt, Payton goes to the air. Opposing defenses know it.
Just ask Jarrett Stidham.
Enter RJ Harvey, the rookie running back who was supposed to be the answer. A compact, powerful runner with great balance, Harvey showed flashes of what he could be-especially between the tackles.
On 61 inside runs, he averaged 4.9 yards per carry, nearly identical to Dobbins’ 5.0. But Payton often had other ideas.
Instead of leaning into Harvey’s strength, Payton deployed him more as a receiving threat and outside runner. Harvey had 58 targets in the passing game-hauling in five touchdowns, third-most among Broncos receivers-and 78 carries outside the tackles, where he averaged just 2.9 yards per carry.
That’s a steep drop-off from his interior production. He was also stuffed behind the line on seven other carries, finishing the season with a 3.7 yards-per-carry average-sixth among Broncos with more than 10 carries.
To put that in perspective, Harvey trailed wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. (6.5), third-string back Jaleel McLaughlin (5.1), fullback Adam Prentice (4.4), and even Nix himself (4.3).
And yet, Harvey still led all rookies with 12 total touchdowns. The talent is there.
The question is whether Payton will use it where it counts most.
Looking ahead, Broncos fans are hoping for a more balanced approach. Names like Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III, Breece Hall, and Tyler Allgeier are already being floated as potential offseason targets. The desire is clear: build an offense that can run the ball not just when it’s convenient, but when it’s necessary.
And that’s the crux of the issue. Sean Payton has been a brilliant hire for Denver.
He’s restored the franchise’s competitiveness and brought back a sense of identity. But that identity has always been rooted in the pass-and this year, it worked… until it didn’t.
That fateful fourth-down call wasn’t just a bad moment-it was a microcosm of a larger issue. The NFL is evolving.
The run game is regaining its value, especially in the postseason when conditions tighten and defenses clamp down. Whether Payton is willing to evolve with it could be the difference between another playoff disappointment and a return to the Super Bowl.
For the Broncos, the path forward is clear. The question is whether their head coach is willing to take it.