10 takeaways from the Broncos’ 31-28 win over Bears

Here are our top takeaways from the Broncos’ first win of the 2023 NFL season.

The Denver Broncos defeated the Chicago Bears in a 31-28 comeback win on Sunday afternoon, securing their first victory of the 2023 NFL season.

Here are ten quick takeaways following Denver’s win.

Tunnel Vision – Injuries, free agents and Sunday stars

Tunnel Vision – a look back at Sunday for fantasy free agents, injuries and notable performances.

SUNDAY SALUTES
Quarterbacks Pass-Rush TD
 Josh Allen 320-17 5
 Justin Fields 335-25 4
 Anthony Richardson 200-56 3
 Lamar Jackson 186-27 4
 Justin Herbert 167-27 3
Running Backs Yards TD
Christian McCaffrey 20-106
7-71
4
David Montgomery 32-121
2-20
3
Josh Jacobs 17-58
8-81
1
Kyren Williams 25-103
3-24
2
Devon Achane  8-101
3-19
2
Wide Receivers Yards TD
A.J. Brown 9-175 2
Stefon Diggs 6-120 3
Nico Collins 7-168 2
Puka Nacua 9-163 1
D.J. Moore 8-131 1
Tight Ends Yards TD
Cole Kmet 7-85 2
Mark Andrews 5-80 2
Jonnu Smith 6-95 0
Jake Ferguson 7-77 0
Andrew Ogletree 3-48 1
Placekickers XP FG
Jake Elliott 2 4
Brett Maher 2 3
Tyler Bass 6 2
Brandon McManus 2 3
Brandon Aubrey 3 3
Defense Sack – TO TD
Dallas 2-3 2
Jacksonville 4-3 1
Baltimore 3-3 0
Minnesota 5-1 1
Tampa Bay 3-3 0

Bumps, Bruises and Bowouts

QB Kenny Pickett – Knee
RB Javonte Williams – Hip
WR Mike Evans – Hamstring
WR Tee Higgins – Rib fracture
WR Khalil Shakir – Head
WR Davante Adams – Shoulder
CB Tre’Davious White – Achilles
TE Donald Parham – Wrist
TE Juwan Johnson – Calf
TE Pat Freiermuth – Hamstring

Chasing Ambulances

Sometimes the next man up is just the right guy.

QB Kenny Pickett – The Steelers hope that he only has a minor MCL sprain but later testing will determine his injury and prognosis. He’d be replaced by Mitchell Trubisky when they host the Ravens next week if needed.

RB Javonte Williams – Injured his hip, but the initial expectation is that he had a hip flexor and that he may not miss any time. Samaje Perine and the rookie Jaleel McLaughlin will share the backfield if Williams misses any time.

WR Mike Evans – Left the win over the Saints with a hamstring injury. HC Todd Bowles said after the game that Evans tweaked it, and he wasn’t sure how serious it might be. Chris Godwin finished with a big game, but the only other notable wideout was second-year Deven Thompkins, who scored his first NFL touchdown on his four catches for 45 yards. The Buccaneers go on their bye, so Evans has two weeks to heal.

WR Tee Higgins – Believed to have suffered a fractured rib that would likely keep him out for multiple weeks. The Bengals are already struggling and this will not help. Tyler Boyd would see more usage, and Ja’Marr Chase would see more coverage. But the passing game from Joe Burrows is struggling anyway.

WR Davante Adams – Had his shoulder crunched when he was tackled in the first half, but did return and finished without any sign of pain. But Adams said after the game that his shoulder was sore. His practices this week should indicate if it is an ongoing issue. He also became the 53rd player to reach 10,000 yards in a career, one of only three current players.

Free Agents, Flops and Other Notables

QB Justin Fields – Go figure. The Bears maligned quarterback spent the first three weeks throwing just one touchdown per week and marginal yardage. Against the Broncos, who once had a great defense, he blew up for 335 yards and four touchdowns while rushing a season-low four times for 25 yards. Granted, the Bears lost, but Fields was the No. 2 fantasy quarterback for the week and he’s found the waiver wire in some smaller leagues.

RB Jaleel McLaughlin – The Broncos lost Javonte Williams to a hip injury and his status will be determined on Monday. The undrafted McLaughlin not only made the team this summer, but he ran for 72 yards on seven carries in the win over the Bears. That included runs of 18, 14, 9, and 31 yards. Samaje Perine only gained 12 yards on his six rushes. But before you spend big in free agency, realize that he is only 5-7 and 183 pounds. HC Sean Payton said they would expand his role while looking for a spark. But Perine will remain involved in all cases and McLaughlin was facing the No. 31 defense against running backs. Then again, McLaughlin has two rushing scores on the year – the only ones by any Bronco.

WR Michael Wilson – The Cardinals’ third-round rookie scored his first touchdowns on his seven catches for 76 yards in the loss to the 49ers. Rondale Moore failed to catch either of his targets in that game, and only Marquise Brown (10) had more targets as a wideout. Wilson posted two catches for 86 yards in Dallas during Week 3. He’s at least worth tracking, if not throwing onto a deep roster in a big league.

TE Jonnu Smith – The Falcons treatment of Kyle Pitts took another odd turn when Smith, aka the other tight end, led the team with six catches for 95 yards on the London loss to the Jaguars. No other receiver gained more than 32 yards, and Pitts was left with two receptions for only 21 yards. That doesn’t make Smith a reliable free agent to grab, but it does make Pitts very hard to consider for any further fantasy starts.

TE Jake Ferguson – The Cowboys tight end was productive in Week 4 with seven catches for 77 yards to lead the Cowboys. That’s his season-high but came in a matchup with the Patriots who handled the Dallas wideouts well enough to force passes to the tight ends.

RB Devon Achane – Both he and Raheem Mostert blew up with a game for the ages last week. Versus the Bills, Mostert crashed to earth with only nine yards on seven carries while Achane ran for 101 yards and two touchdowns on eight rushes.  Both backs caught three passes. Achane has quickly became a major factor in the backfield and now is dominating the box score over Mostert.

RB Alexander Mattison and Cam Akers – The Vikings acquired Akers last week and he saw his first action as a Viking. He gained 40 yards on five rushes with two catches for 11 yards. HC Kevin O’Connell said he would go with the hot hand, and Mattison shined for the second week in a row, rushing for 95 yards on 17 carries. The Vikings also finally won a game while passing for only 139 yards. The backfield cannot support two viable fantasy starters, so Mattison has to hold Akers off, or it just becomes a risky and inconsistent situation.

RB Khalil Herbert – The Bears backfield is already leaving D’Onta Foreman inactive for games. The rookie Roschon Johnson appeared to be making inroads to taking a clear primary role, but not so fast. Herbert just gained 103 yards on 18 carries and caught four passes for 19 yards and one touchdown. Johnson only gained a total of 14 yards on his six touches. This could all change next week, but Herbert did himself a lot of good in showing up big in Week 4.

RB Kareem Hunt – His first game back with the Browns happened in a week with Deshaun Watson out and Dorian Thompson-Robinson as the starter – a profound difference since the Browns only scored three points. Hunt rushed for only 12 yards on five carries and had no targets. His return is less than triumphant but could pick up once Watson is back.

QB C.J. Stroud and company – The Texans passing production is bringing up memories of Deshaun Watson. The rookie threw for his third straight game with two scores and 280+ yards. In each game, a wideout recorded at least 145 yards. Nico Collins (7-168, 2 TD) just had his second monster performance in the big win over the Steelers.

RB Alvin Kamara – Derek Carr played with a bad shoulder, and it showed with only 127 passing yards in the loss to the Buccaneers. But Kamara’s debut had him lead the backfield with 11 carries for 51 yards and catch 13 passes for 33 yards. He caught more passes than the other receivers combined.

Huddle player of the week

Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

The 49ers star is the No. 1 fantasy running back and starting to pull away with 120 PPR points for a near 30-point lead over all other backs. Facing the visiting Cardinals, McCaffrey ran for 106 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries and still added seven catches for 71 yards and a fourth touchdown. The first back selected in most fantasy leagues, he’s paying off every week.

Salute!

Drama 101 – Somebody has to laugh, somebody has to cry

Comedy Yards TDs Tragedy Yards TDs
QB Baker Mayfield 246-31 3 QB Joe Burrow 165-1 0
RB Khalil Herbert 18-103
4-19
1 RB Aaron Jones 5-18
1-(-4)
0
RB Jaleel McLaughlin 7-72
3-32
1 RB Javonte Williams 2-0
3-9
0
WR Nico Collins 7-168 2 WR Jordan Addison 0 0
WR Michael Wilson 7-76 2 WR Chris Olave 1-4 0
WR Curtis Samuels 7-51 1 WR Deebo Samuel 3-6 rush 0
TE Jonnu Smith 6-95 0 TE George Kittle 1-9 0
PK Brett Maher   2 XP  3  FG PK Younghoe Koo   1 XP
Huddle Fantasy Points = 184 Huddle Fantasy Points = 21

Now get back to work…

Broncos RB Javonte Williams suffered hip flexor vs. Bears

Broncos RB Javonte Williams is “not expected to miss much if any time” after suffering a hip flexor injury on Sunday, according to ESPN.

Denver Broncos running back Javonte Williams suffered a hip flexor injury against the Chicago Bears in Week 4, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Williams is “not expected to miss much if any time” with the injury, according to Schefter.

Williams suffered the injury in the first half of Sunday’s game and was initially listed as questionable to return. The Broncos later ruled him out in the second half.

Williams missed 13 games last season with a torn ACL and LCL. Before leaving Sunday’s game, he had rushed 38 times for 138 yards this year. It’s been a disappointing return to play for the third-year running back.

The good news is that undrafted rookie Jaleel McLaughlin stepped up with Williams sidelined in Chicago. McLaughlin finished the game with seven carries for 72 yards and three receptions for 32 yards and one touchdown.

If Williams ends up missing any games, McLaughlin and veteran Samaje Perine will likely share snaps in Denver’s backfield.

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WATCH: Broncos QB Russell Wilson throws TD pass to RB Jaleel McLaughlin

Another touchdown for Broncos rookie running back Jaleel McLaughlin! He’s an exciting player!

Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson connected on a screen pass to Jaleel McLaughlin on Sunday afternoon and the rookie running back did most of the work on an 18-yard touchdown against the Chicago Bears.

Here’s video of the play, courtesy of the team’s official Twitter page:

At the time of publication, Denver leads the Bears 7-0 in the first quarter.

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Broncos blow 21-3 lead, lose to Commanders 35-33

After squandering a 21-3 lead, the Broncos nearly pulled off a big comeback against the Commanders before ultimately falling to 0-2.

The Denver Broncos squandered a 21-3 lead over the Washington Commanders on Sunday in an eventual 35-33 loss in Week 2.

The Commanders marched down the field on their opening drive but missed a field goal. After that, the Broncos went on a seven-play, 61-yard drive that ended with a five-yard touchdown run from rookie Jaleel McLaughlin to give Denver an early 7-0 lead.

Washington then added a field goal to make it 7-3 late in the first quarter. Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson matched that score by throwing a 60-yard touchdown pass to rookie Marvin Mims to make it 14-3.

Wilson later threw a 16-yard TD pass to Brandon Johnson to extend the lead to 21-3. Before halftime, the Commanders scored a touchdown to cut the deficit to 21-11 (Washington went for two). Broncos safety Kareem Jackson was ejected after a head-to-head hit on Commanders tight end Logan Thomas on Washington’s touchdown.

The Commanders later added a field goal to make it 21-14 going into halftime. After Denver went three-and-out to begin the third quarter, Washington went 57 yards to tie the game 21-21 on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Sam Howell to Terry McLaurin.

Late in the third quarter, the Broncos retook the lead on a 31-yard Wil Lutz field goal. The Commanders then scored a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to make it 28-24. Washington running back Brian Robinson later added a 15-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 35-24.

Denver added a 33-yard field goal late in the fourth to cut it to 35-27, but the Broncos failed to recover the ensuing onside kick.

After getting the ball back, Denver nearly pulled off an incredible comeback. Wilson threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Johnson to make it 35-33, but the two-point conversion attempt failed, sealing a loss.

Up next for the Broncos is a road game against the Miami Dolphins in Week 3.

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WATCH: Broncos RB Jaleel McLaughlin scores first NFL touchdown

Jaleel McLaughlin’s first touchdown in the NFL gives the Broncos a 7-0 lead over the Commanders!

Denver Broncos rookie running back Jaleel McLaughlin scored the first touchdown of his NFL career on a five-yard rush against the Washington Commanders on Sunday afternoon.

Here’s video of the play, courtesy of the team’s official Twitter page:

At the time of this writing, the Broncos lead the Commanders 7-0.

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Broncos RB Jaleel McLaughlin explains why he didn’t change his jersey number

Broncos RB Jaleel McLaughlin wore 10 in high school then 20 and 8 in college. That adds up to wearing No. 38 in the NFL.

It is game week for the Denver Broncos.

The Broncos will face off against the Las Vegas Raiders this Sunday, and expectations are raised under new coach Sean Payton, with the playoffs now a clear objective.

Ahead of Sunday’s season opener, eight Denver players have elected to change their jersey numbers for 2023.

Broncos rookie receiver Marvin Mims has changed his preseason number of No. 83 to No. 19, and cornerback Tremon Smith will now wear No. 1 after previously wearing No. 23.

While six other Broncos players have elected to change their numbers, one player chose not to: running back Jaleel McLaughlin.

McLaughlin went undrafted in the 2023 NFL draft after finishing his career at Youngtown State. McLaughlin ended his career as college football’s all-time leading rusher.

But his reason for sticking with No. 38 is a unique one.

McLaughlin’s reason makes a lot of sense. His story is unique and it was probably a lot of hard work for him to get to this spot in his life. We’re excited to see No. 38 in action this fall.

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Broncos QB Russell Wilson gushes with praise for RB Jaleel McLaughlin

“He can do it all,” Broncos QB Russell Wilson said of RB Jaleel McLaughlin. “He’s a professional.”

Nobody on the Denver Broncos’ coaching staff was surprised by running back Jaleel McLaughlin’s impressive performance in preseason after he stood out at during training camp. 

“We’ve kind of been seeing it, if you’ve been paying attention to practice,” head coach Sean Payton said on Aug. 19. “I wouldn’t say anyone’s surprised.”

Nobody was surprised, either, when McLaughlin made the team’s 53-man roster last week. The undrafted rookie running back has impressed coaches and teammates not only by his on-field performance but also by his dedication off the field.

“Everybody will obviously talk about him scoring and making plays, but that doesn’t just happen overnight,” quarterback Russell Wilson said. “It’s one of those things that you work at it every day. He’s a guy that comes in early. He’s one of the first guys there every morning and sits in the front of the room. He takes notes every day and he’s a professional. There’s a certain process. Success leaves clues. A lot of the hard work that a guy gives and what he gives to the process, especially as a young player, and to really learn how to be a professional.”

McLaughlin led the Broncos with 113 rushing yards in preseason on 21 carries (5.38 yards per carry) and he led the NFL with four touchdowns. McLaughlin also made plays as a returner and as a receiver out of the backfield. He is an exciting, versatile player.

“Man, what a blessing to have such a young player who can really do a lot of special things like his kick return … his runs, his catches — he can do it all,” Wilson said. “More importantly, the best thing that I see is his work habits. When it comes to practice, he runs ball to the right, runs to the left, and he runs to the end zone every single time. That’s his mentality. That’s where greatness comes.”

McLaughlin will serve as Denver’s third-string running back this season behind Javonte Williams and Samaje Perine. He will make his (regular-season) NFL debut when the Broncos host the Las Vegas Raiders on Sept. 10.

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Jaleel McLaughlin’s preseason rise did not surprise Broncos’ coaches

After watching him at camp, Broncos coaches knew Jaleel McLaughlin would succeed in preseason. “It wasn’t anything that surprised us.”

Denver Broncos undrafted rookie running back Jaleel McLaughlin dominated in preseason and won a spot on the team’s 53-man roster.

After the Broncos set their initial roster last week, general manager George Paton spoke about the process of McLaughlin going from joining the team in May to becoming a roster lock in August.

You start recruiting these guys early in the process, especially the guys that aren’t going to get drafted,” Paton said of signing undrafted free agent. “It’s part of the interview process. We thought he was a good player. We didn’t quite know what we were getting. You never know with [college] free agents and what you’re quite getting. He went to two schools, obviously.

“The tape was good, but we’ve had a lot of those guys over the years when they come in here [and don’t pan out]. He passed every test. From the minute he showed up in rookie minicamp, it wasn’t too big. Then he’s working out with the big boys on varsity. It wasn’t too big. Then we get the pads on, and he makes plays every day. We were really not surprised [in preseason]. We were all looking forward to the first game to see what he could do, and he made plays every game.”

McLaughlin led the team with 113 rushing yards in preseason on 21 carries (5.38 yards per tote) and he led the NFL with four touchdowns. Denver’s staff wasn’t surprised to see that kind of production after the running back’s impressive summer.

Broncos coach Sean Payton knew McLaughlin would be on a 53-man roster after the team’s preseason opener.

“In San Francisco when the game ended, I knew he was on track to be on our team or someone else’s if we chose not to put him on our roster,” Payton said. “I think that was a big game for him. I said this — and you guys have watched the practices — it wasn’t anything that surprised us. We had seen it. To his credit, it was pretty consistent.”

McLaughlin is now set to serve as the team’s third-string running back this season behind starter Javonte Williams and primary backup Samaje Perine. He will make his NFL debut when Denver hosts the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 1.

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Brian Baldinger says Broncos might have found gold in Jaleel McLaughlin

“Did Sean Payton and the Broncos find [undrafted] free agent gold in running back Jaleel Mclaughlin?”

Jaleel Mclaughlin was by far the big winner of Denver Broncos preseason this summer.

The undrafted rookie running back out of Youngstown State led the team with 113 rushing yards on 21 carries (5.38 yards per tote) and led the NFL with four touchdowns in three preseason games. He also hauled in seven receptions for 33 yards.

After his impressive summer, McLaughlin made the Broncos’ 53-man roster and he has caught the eye of NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger.

Baldinger shared a short video breakdown of McLaughlin’s performance in Denver’s preseason finale on Twitter (now called X).

“Did Sean Payton and the Broncos find [undrafted] free agent gold in running back Jaleel McLaughlin?” Baldinger asks as the video begins. “Because when I watch him run, he knows exactly where daylight is, and he knows how to get there. And he’s got the quick feet to make it happen.”

Baldinger showed examples of the speedy rookie running between the tackles and making plays in space. Nate Tice of Yahoo! Sports also posted a cut-up from some of McLaughlin touches against the Los Angeles Rams:

He is a dynamic player, one who will be fun to watch this season.

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