All year, the Broncos’ receiving group has been Courtland Sutton and then the rest. That hasn’t changed completely in recent weeks, but a new face has entered the equation. Suddenly, Marvin Mims Jr. is squarely in the picture. Over the past six games, Sutton has 34 catches (51 targets) for 414 yards and four touchdowns. In the same span, Mims still trails behind at 23 catches (28 targets) but has turned those into 383 yards and four touchdowns. In the process, the Broncos’ second-year receiver has risen up Denver’s pecking order and last week in Cincinnati moved past seventh-round rookie Devaughn Vele into second on the team in receiving at 452 yards. “Most of it is just the opportunities and making the most out of them,” Mims said this week after he was named to his second straight Pro Bowl as a returner. “That’s a huge thing for receivers around the league is just, when you get that chance, make the most out of it and then you’ll start to get more.” What’s perhaps most interesting about Mims’ late-season surge is a two-fold reality: First, that he was almost entirely out of the offensive picture for the first half of the season, and second, that his explosion in the passing game has come on the heels of head coach Sean Payton and company deciding to deploy Mims more frequently out of the backfield. Coincidence? Perhaps not. Mims’ confidence and demeanor seemed to change as the Broncos ramped up his usage as a hybrid running back. Now suddenly he’s catching double-move deep balls out of the slot and going up over two defenders to catch a gotta-have-it, fourth-down touchdown in the waning seconds of regulation against the Bengals. He finished that 30-24 overtime loss with a career-best eight catches for 103 yards and a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns. “It’s that thing that always drives you as a coach — I just spoke to him three days ago — to keep looking for things these guys do well and then keep doing those things,” Payton said Friday. “Certainly his confidence on the field, whether he’s returning punts, running routes, taking (handoffs). In Year 2, it’s been great to see. The growth that you hope to see in a player in his second year.” Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said earlier this week that he thought just the simple act of making sure the ball got into Mims’ hands helped jump-start his season. And doing so from the backfield proved easier to scheme than putting him in situations where he was consistently running lower-probability deep routes. “When you call some of those shots — the couple he scored on — there’s a lot going on with a defense that tells the quarterback where to throw the ball,” Lombardi said. “So probably every game (Mims) has been with us, I’m sure we’ve called those plays or certainly had them in the game plan. You hope you call it at the right time where the defense is set up in a way where you can launch the ball to him. “It’s a lot of variables that go into whether the ball goes down the field to a receiver. And lately it’s been working in our favor. Getting him in the backfield — throwing him swing screens, handing him the ball — those are times where you can guarantee he’s going to get the ball. “He’s made the most of those opportunities and we’ve done a better job of designing those into the offense for him.” The numbers jump off the page. Through nine games, Mims had eight total offensive touches for 73 yards. In Denver’s past seven, he’s got 39 touches (27 catches) for 421 yards and the four touchdowns. In the first nine games of the season, Mims had seven catches on 15 targets, so a 46.7% catch rate. In the past seven games, he’s got 27 catches on 32 targets for an 84.4% catch rate. Related Articles Denver Broncos | Broncos HC Sean Payton says CB Pat Surtain II should win DPOY: “It’s an easy case to make” Denver Broncos | Broncos’ Garett Bolles, Courtland Sutton have “put up with a lot of garbage” over the years. Is their playoff moment finally about to arrive? Denver Broncos | Broncos Journal: Dondrea Tillman took winding road to becoming “big plus” for Denver’s defense Denver Broncos | NFL Picks: An epic battle of 14-2 teams for the NFC’s No. 1 seed makes for fitting regular season finale Denver Broncos | Broncos DC Vance Joseph, players proud of breaking franchise’s single-season sack record: “That’s special” “It’s a long season and you’ve got to keep your head up and keep going,” Mims said of the early-season drought. “At the end of the day, you don’t want to be the one guy who kind of pouted and then when he finally gets his opportunities, doesn’t make the most of them.” Mims has made the most of his chances in recent weeks, first from the backfield and more recently as his reps at receiver trend up. If the Broncos are to beat Kansas City on Sunday and make noise in the postseason, the 2023 second-round pick will likely have to keep on doing so. “I just think lately I’ve been hitting my stride on certain plays and certain opportunities,” he said. Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis.