Marvin Mims Jr. Pinpoints the Game That Changed How Broncos View Him

The Marvin Mims Jr. who finished the 2024 regular season looked far different than the guy at the beginning of the campaign. In the first half of the season, Mims was a relative non-entity in the Denver Broncos' offense, much like he'd become toward the end of his rookie showing.

Many have surmised that the turning of the tide for Mims on offense came in the Denver Broncos' heartbreaking loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, when Sean Payton utilized him as a running back and gadget weapon to throw the opposing defense on its heels. It worked, helping to loosen things up underneath, but according to Mims, it was a game much later in the season that provided Payton and the Broncos' offensive coaches with an epiphany.

In the Broncos' disappointing overtime loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17, Mims caught all eight of his targets for 103 yards and two touchdowns, including an amazing catch over two defenders in the end zone when the chips were down. Mims would cap off his second-year resurgence with another double-touchdown performance the next week vs. the Chiefs at Mile High, but it was that Bengals game that he believes awakened the Broncos to the possibilities with their former 2023 second-round draft pick.

"It was really big for me," Mims said via ESPN's Jeff Legwold. "It's weird, but when you're in college, guys make plays all the time, that's how we all get here. But you get here [in the NFL] and those plays are much more difficult to be a part of consistently. ... I think that game alone maybe gave the coaches a different way to look at me."

Mims doesn't discount how Payton using him as a running back earlier in the season helped get his juices flowing. It also boosted the offense against some stiff competition at a point where the Broncos really needed to stack some wins.

"Not only for what it does for me personally, but as a team I felt like we kind of had another thing on offense that could help get some things going," Mims said via Legwold. "But it was huge for me, huge for the team, maybe that little extra thing to help us."

Now in his third NFL season, Mims is already a decorated and accomplished player, having garnered Pro Bowl and All-Pro accolades as a returner in each of his first two years. While his third-phase impact has led to excellent field position for the Broncos, his goal is to consistently produce on that same high level as a receiver on offense.

Mims' speed, quickness, and short-area burst make him a dangerous weapon for Bo Nix, and if Payton and company have truly realized how best to use him moving forward, he's the one guy on offense with a unique superstar potential. In a wide receiver room populated by several fellow recent Payton draft picks, like Devaughn Vele, Troy Franklin, and rookie Pat Bryant, Mims stands out as a rare playmaker capable of elevating the offense above and beyond what his fellow wideouts can offer.

Legwold has covered the Broncos for two-plus decades, beginning his tenure on the beat in 2004. He's seen a lot of players come and go, as well as sleepers who morph into superstars.