NFL teams
KC Joyner, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Run game can carry Broncos

For most of John Elway's career, the Denver Broncos' Super Bowl formula revolved around how far he could carry the club.

That changed once Mike Shanahan took over as head coach and drafted running back Terrell Davis. The addition of Davis allowed the Broncos to rely much more on their rushing attack and that change helped give Elway two Super Bowl rings to close out his career.

This year's Broncos look to be in a similar situation with Peyton Manning. For most of his Denver tenure, Manning's passing has been the team's focal point and the Broncos were only going to go as far as his right arm could carry them.

That mindset looks to have changed of late, as Denver has been leaning on the ground game so much that head coach John Fox recently felt compelled to defend the state of the Broncos' aerial attack.

Fox's explanation notwithstanding, the truth of the matter is there are some compelling reasons for Denver to move away from its pass-centric ways and toward a more rush-heavy attack down the stretch. Just as it was a positive game-changer for Elway, this alteration is actually a very good thing for Manning and could be what he needs to lead the Broncos to a Super Bowl victory.

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