DENVER -- The Denver Broncos aren't saying they shouldn't throw the ball. They aren't saying they want to turn the clock back.

What they are saying is when they possess the ball enough to give both of their running backs -- Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon III -- a busy day at the football office, good things happen.

As in a lot of good things.

"Our two backs are really, really good," said Broncos coach Vic Fangio. "I love them both, I'm glad we have them both."

The Broncos offense showed their rushing toughness during a 38-10 win over the Detroit Lions Sunday, pushing Denver to 7-6 and on edge of the AFC's playoff race. Williams and Gordon combined for 184 yards rushing yards on 39 carries -- 111 yards on 24 carries for Gordon and 73 on 15 for Williams.

They each scored two touchdowns -- two on the ground for Gordon; one on the ground and one in the air for Williams -- the first time since 1962 the Broncos had two running backs score twice from scrimmage in the same game.

And now the Broncos are 6-1 this season in games when they have at least 28 rushing attempts. They are 1-5 when they do not reach that mark.

"We had a good commitment to the run game," Fangio said. "And we need to have that, especially this time of year. If you can run it, you can build a lot of things off of it."

"We knew what the plan was and we wanted to do whatever we had to do to come away with the victory," said Broncos quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

After Sunday's win, Williams has 155 carries for the season, 743 yards rushing and a 4.8 yards per carry average, while Gordon has 159 carries for 716 yards rushing and a 4.5 yards per carry average. The two have combined for 10 rushing touchdowns -- Gordon has seven of them.

"Every game from here on out is going to be playoff games, we need both of us to stay healthy," Williams said.

The two also keep Bridgewater out of harm's way a little more. Bridgewater has thrown interceptions in just two of the Broncos' seven wins overall. When the Broncos have muscled up more with the running game, they also have put the ball down the field far more effectively in the passing game.

Twenty-two of the Broncos' 33 pass plays of at least 20 yards this season have come during wins, which also happen to be the games they've been able to keep the running backs working.

"We're just both explosive," said Gordon, who played through a left thumb injury Sunday he suffered on the Broncos first series of the game. "When our number is called, it's a premium to make plays, especially at a time like this. We're not thinking twice about what we need to do."

Williams and Gordon get asked a lot of about the shared workload and if one will get more carries than the other each week. But the two seem to enjoy the near 50-50 division of labor. Gordon was the first to run to Williams to celebrate the rookie's first touchdown Sunday and they could been seen sharing a moment on the bench as the clock wound down to end the game.

"We look out for each other," Gordon said.

"[It was] really like a relief, knowing how hard we practice during the week," Williams said. "... Just to celebrate with him, both of us were having a good game."

As the Broncos try to keep themselves in the AFC playoff hunt, Fangio said the two running backs will be important pieces of what is essentially a win-or-you're-out scenario the rest of the way.

"We're going to approach every game like it's a must win," Fangio said. "And go at it like that and see how many we can get."