Broncos RB Javonte Williams Answers the Bell With Signature Day vs. Raiders

The questions surrounding Javonte Williams were loud and lingering but he has silenced them.

Oct 6, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Las Vegas Raiders safety Tre'von Moehrig (7) hangs onto Denver Broncos running back Javonte Williams (33) as guard Ben Powers (74) in the second half at Empower Field at Mile High. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

When the season started, the Denver Broncos didn't have much of a running game. Part of it was Javonte Williams getting off to a slow start to the season.

After the Broncos went 0-2, I wrote that Williams was a player who might need to go on the trading block if the team didn't turn things around. But since that time, not only are the Broncos playing better but Williams has shown that he should stick around.

Williams has played better in the past couple of weeks, but his game against the Las Vegas Raiders was his best game yet, perhaps the best game of his career. Though his stats might not look like much, Williams was crucial to giving the Broncos a spark on offense.

Early in the game, Williams picked up a fourth-down conversion when the Broncos had the ball at their own 34-yard line. It was a roll of the dice, but not only did the Broncos get the first down, but Williams turned it into an 8-yard gain.

In the second quarter, Williams played an instrumental role in the Broncos extending a drive deep in their own territory. On 2nd-&-14 at the Broncos 10-yard line, Bo Nix was under pressure and threw a low pass to Williams, who managed to catch the ball and turned it into a 26-yard gain.

Unfortunately, the Broncos couldn't keep the drive going, but Williams' play allowed them to get out of bad field position and, after the drive stalled, get the Raiders pinned back on their own 13-yard line.

The Raiders couldn't keep a drive going, and punted back to the Broncos, who then got enough plays completed to allow Wil Lutz a field goal attempt. Though Lutz missed, a Raiders penalty gave him a second chance, and he made it.

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But ask yourself what might have been the result had Williams not made his big play earlier. The Broncos might have punted further back in their own territory and the Raiders might have had better field position on their drive.

In the second half, we saw Williams' play lead to bigger results. On the second drive of the third quarter, Williams had two rushes for 15 yards that allowed the Broncos to get into Raiders' territory. He broke tackles and pushed defenders, leading to his teammates moving into push the pile on one run.

That seemed to spark other players, such as Lil'Jordan Humphrey, who broke a tackle on a short pass and turned it into a 27-yard gain. Two plays later, Nix completed a 4-yard pass to Jaleel McLaughlin, who broke the plane for a touchdown.

To open the fourth quarter, Williams had rushes of 7, 17, and 4 yards, the latter of which came when the Broncos were at the Raiders' 5-yard line. Williams was denied a touchdown, though it wasn't for lack of effort as he pushed against Raiders linemen to get the ball inside the 1-yard line.

Williams had just 61 yards rushing but he averaged 4.7 yards per carry. He also had 50 yards receiving to give him 111 total yards from scrimmage. 

The Takeaways

While it remains to be seen whether Williams will be brought back next year, his play as of late merits him staying involved in the offense and getting more touches. It's clear Nix trusts him to be a checkdown option on passing downs if necessary. Williams also remains the Broncos' best pass protector, which is crucial to giving Nix more time to throw. 

There was plenty to like about the Broncos' play against the Raiders, particularly in the second half. But a tip of the hat needs to be directed at Williams. His stats may not show it, but his play on the field made a big difference in giving the Broncos' offense some life.

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