A look at the heroes and zeros from the Broncos’ 35-33 loss to the Washington Commanders.

Marvin Mims Jr.: Do the Broncos finally have a vertical threat? If the first two quarters of Sunday’s game are a harbinger of things to come, the answer is a resounding yes. The Oklahoma product’s first (and only) two receptions Sunday went for 60 and 53 yards (the former for a touchdown), and his lone punt return went for 45. After Sean Payton’s offense was completely devoid of big plays in Week 1, suddenly there’s a ray of hope. Provided Payton actually uses him, of course

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton knows a thing or two about elite quarterback play. Payton was the head coach of the New Orleans Saints from 2006-21, where he coached future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees.

The pair had unparalleled success, winning one Super Bowl and Brees breaking multiple records.

Now in his first season with Denver, Payton is tasked with resurrecting the career of former Super Bowl winner Russell Wilson. The Broncos opened the 2023 season with a Week 1 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders

The Washington Commanders badly needed something on offense — anything. Trailing 21-3 late in the second quarter, Commanders linebacker Jamin Davis sacked Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson, forcing a fumble and giving Washington some excellent field position.

Quarterback Sam Howell drove the Commanders down the field, but the offense appeared to stall yet again. Instead of kicking the field goal, head coach Ron Rivera decided to go for it on fourth-and-goal.

Howell rewarded him, finding tight end Logan Thomas in the back of the end zone for a touchdown. Thomas took a nasty shot from Denver defensive back Kareem Jackson, who was ejected

The Washington Commanders meet the Denver Broncos in Week 2 action from Empower Field at Mile High. The Commanders enter Sunday’s game looking to go 2-0 for the first time since 2011, while the Broncos are looking to avoid two consecutive home losses to kick off the Sean Payton era.

The Commanders released their list of inactive players for Week 2, and it includes rookie second-round pick Quan Martin, who suffered a concussion in last week’s win over the Cardinals.

The Broncos also released their inactive list for Week 2, and it features edge rusher Frank Clark and cornerback Riley Moss. Denver placed tight end Greg Dulcich

Initial thoughts from Broncos’ 35-33 loss to the Washington Commanders in Week 2 at Empower Field:

1.Vance, this ain’t it. One former Buff called a whale of a game Sunday at Empower Field. Unfortunately, that CU dude in question wasn’t the one in the employ of the Broncos. So what exactly are we doing here, Vance Joseph? While Eric Bieniemy was screening the Broncos to death the way the CSU Rams chucked crossing route after crossing route at the Buffs late Saturday night, Joseph’s defense looked a step late and several salary-cap dollars short. Gifted a 21-3 lead some 21 minutes into Week 2, the Broncos proceeded to get outscored 32-12. The Commanders averaged 4.6 points over their final seven non-kneeldown drives, in a league where the average points surrendered was 1.72 per series. Over the first two games of an 0-2 start, the Broncos have surrendered 2.89 points per drive, which sounds to us like a good way to go 6-11 or 7-10. And a good reason to start the search for a new defensive coordinator