The Denver Broncos' ground attack in 2025 was a model of consistency, delivering explosive plays at a rate that mirrored the NFL standard. Their running backs turned 23 of their 329 carries into explosive runs, a rate of 7.0% that landed right around the league average of 6.8% for backs. But what exactly qualifies as an "explosive" play? For the 2025 season, the benchmark was a gain of 12 or more yards, which represented the top 10th percentile of all runs league-wide.

This context highlights just how valuable these chunk plays are. Across the NFL, those 12-plus yard runs, though only 7.8% of all attempts, generated a staggering 34% of the total rushing yards. For the Broncos, the production was spread around: running backs accounted for 23 of the team's 38 explosive runs, with quarterback Bo Nix adding 13 on scrambles, a common source of big gains for QBs.

How did Denver's backs stack up against the competition? They were solidly in the middle of the pack. The Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins set the pace with explosive run rates exceeding 10% for their running backs, while the Kansas City Chiefs found themselves at the bottom with a mere 3.2%—a key reason they invested heavily in a new feature back during the offseason.

Digging into the scheme, the Broncos' explosive runs came from various play types. They were most efficient on gap runs (8.0% explosive rate), followed by zone runs (7.4%), with duo concepts being slightly less likely to break big (5.4%). While the offensive line deserves credit for creating the initial lane, these long runs are often credited to the runner's ability to make a defender miss or break a tackle in the open field, turning a good gain into a game-changing one.