Rookie Montrell Washington making plays as both a receiver and returner

IMPROVING IN THE RUN GAME

Early on Saturday afternoon, it seemed the Broncos’ offense had remedied its issues in the run game from against Dallas. After averaging 1.8 yards per carry against the Cowboys, Denver averaged 3.5 yards per carry on its first drive. Quickly, though, the Broncos again found trouble when trying to run the ball. Denver finished with a 1.9 yards per carry average, and the team’s longest run was just eight yards.

“Alignment [and] assignment is always the most important thing,” Hackett said of correcting the issues in the run game. “We want to make sure that they know what they’re doing. Then you go to their technique, how they’re doing their technique, and then just simply if they’re getting physically outmatched. So it’s a step-by-step process to see how all those guys are doing, and that’s why this is a great time. It doesn’t count. But in the end, you get to evaluate all your guys.”

Running back Mike Boone, who carried the ball five times for 11 yards, stressed the importance of the run game in the Broncos’ overall success.

“I feel like the run starts everything,” Boone said. “In order to pass good, you’ve got to be able to run good. It’s extremely important.”

… Second-round pick Nik Bonitto did not record a tackle, and he said his focus ahead of Week 1 is to “[see] things faster,” diagnose the opposing formation and better learn his responsibilities.

“I feel like a lot of the time I’m still thinking when I go out,” Bonitto said.

Bonitto was whistled for an offside penalty at the end of the second quarter, and Hackett said that sort of penalty can impact the rest of a player’s game.

“Whenever you’re a rookie coming into the NFL, there’s always going to be some difficulties and learning a new system and all those things,” Hackett said. “He went against a couple of veteran quarterbacks today. So going against those guys, they know how to work the count. They know how to work him. They probably saw that he was trying to get off the ball quick and…