Sean Payton acknowledged reality but also issued a forecast.
In the first three weeks, the Broncos head coach conceded last week, his team had not settled on an offensive identity.
A little bit of this. A little bit of that. A few too many missteps and far too many flags.
Little in the way of consistency or continuity. Not much to point to as a true strength or a go-to in tough times.
Asked for a timeline on when such an identity might form, Payton said, “I think soon.”
Not soon enough for Denver’s first drive Monday night, but in plenty of time to put forth a dominant performance the rest of the way in a 28-3 manhandling of Cincinnati at Empower Field.
This was an exercise in road grading rather than rocket science.
The Broncos mostly stayed ahead of the chains. They ran the ball consistently. They converted on third downs because they had manageable distances to go.
They controlled the game because they controlled the ball, racking up 37:58 in possession time to Cincinnati’s 22:02.
In the process, Payton’s offense showed signs of what it can be going forward. Yes, they still committed far too many penalties, with seven flags and four accepted for the offense alone, and seven accepted for 72 yards total.
And yes, quarterback Bo Nix threw a red zone interception late in the first half, his second scoring-territory turnover in the past three games.
Mostly, though, the Broncos moved the ball at will.
Their opening three-and-out made eight in 12 full possessions dating to the start of last week’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. From there, though, they turned in a diametrically opposite performance.
A week ago, Denver ran 48 plays total for 265 yards and nine first downs.
In the first half alone Monday night, the Broncos ran 42 for 305 and 16. They finished the night with 29 first downs to the Bengals’ nine.
A week ago, Denver converted just twice on 13 third-down tries and averaged 11 yards to go on those downs.
In the first half Monday, the Broncos converted 6 of 8 and averaged 4.4 yards to go.
A week ago, Denver went three-and-out seven times. After the first drive Monday night, Nix and company generated four first downs per drive for four straight extended marches and got at least one first down on nine consecutive possessions through the rest of the night.
They rushed for 88 yards in the first half and 186 overall on the night.
When J.K. Dobbins rumbled for 16 down the left sideline in the middle of the fourth quarter, he became the Broncos’ first 100-yard rusher since Latavius Murray in the final game of the 2022 season, and the first of the Payton era in Denver, ending a 37-game streak without one.
Dobbins finished with 101 yards on 16 carries and combined with rookie R.J. Harvey for 35 touches, 203 offensive yards and a Harvey receiving touchdown that gave Denver a 28-3 lead in the fourth quarter and put the game on ice.
“We felt like we’d be able to run the ball,” Payton said. “We knew this was an important game to be able to establish the line of scrimmage, and we did.”
There’s plenty of reason to use caution before declaring all of Denver’s offensive ills cured and their identity crystal clear.
When they took the field with 2 minutes, 42 seconds remaining in the third quarter and leading 21-3, Nix had still dropped back 36 times to 18 called runs.
The penalty issues are still pertinent, and Monday night featured five flags (three accepted) on center Luke Wattenberg alone. Rookie receiver Pat Bryant also lined up offside, and the Broncos had seven penalties (five accepted) total on the offense.
Infractions alone essentially marred two second-half drives for Denver’s offense.
Nix had to take a timeout on the team’s opening drive and again late in the third quarter in order to get play calls straight.
Second-year receiver Troy Franklin made some nice plays in the passing game, but also dropped two balls.
Perhaps most pertinent: The Broncos aren’t going to face many defenses in more dire straits than Cincinnati’s, which has been shredded back-to-back weeks, has little star power beyond edge rusher Trey Hendrickson — tackles Garett Bolles and Mike McGlinchey muted his impact — and struggles in just about every facet.
Philadelphia and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio are not likely to be such an easy test next week on the road.
Still, the Broncos sowed the seeds for what their offense can grow into over the next several weeks.
That alone represents progress over the first three weeks and a step in the right direction as the Broncos move right into a short week and then into a long road trip that starts in the City of Brotherly Love and continues on to London.