The Denver Broncos have found themselves a rhythm in the Divisional Round. After being deadlocked at 10 late in the first half, the Broncos closed and opened the second half with 13 straight points. The Bills responded with a score of their own, but the Broncos are still in the driver’s seat. They’ll need to continue scoring, and RJ Harvey will have to step it up in the second half.
RJ Harvey’s Slow Start
Harvey hasn’t been a productive rusher against Buffalo so far. He has five carries for only 17 yards. Bo Nix is the leading rusher for Denver with eight carries for 29 yards. Harvey has the same number of carries as Jaleel McLaughlin and fewer yards. The rookie running back needs to take advantage in the second half.
Harvey has been an active part of the receiving efforts with multiple injuries to wide receivers. He has three catches for 22 yards and, at the time of writing, is tied for the most receptions on the team.
JK Dobbins is sorely missed. Dobbins proved to be a major part of the Denver rushing attack until he got hurt. It shifted major responsibility to the rookie Harvey, and at times he’s looked built for the moment and out of his depth at other times. He ranks 47th in PFSN’s RB Impact Metric with an impact score of 47.8.
The Broncos had the chance to put this game on ice as the Bills kept turning the ball over, but Denver failed to capitalize. Although they’ve hurt the Bills, they still lead by just one possession despite Buffalo’s four turnovers. Buffalo is doing everything in its power to get pressure on the Denver offense, and it’s working.
Denver’s offense looks out of rhythm in the second half after looking like it was hitting stride heading into the locker room at halftime. The run game has been thwarted, and the passing attack looks shaky. It needs to be cleaned up, or the Bills will make the Broncos pay for letting them hang around in this one.
Buffalo is in a position to give this Denver team a headache in the fourth quarter. Trailing by six points with the ball is not what the Broncos wanted to be staring at after the third quarter that they had. The Denver offense let the defense down and could be forced to pay a hefty price for their struggles.
Editor’s Note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated throughout the day as more information becomes available.
