ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- If Denver Broncos running back C.J. Anderson can close out the season's final two games the way he hopes, it would mean the foundation of what could be his first 1,000-yard rushing season was built on discomfort.

It would mean that, as he recovered from knee surgery in 2016, the words did hurt him, more than a little, when he asked those closest to him to watch how he had played before his season ended with a knee injury against the Houston Texans. And to then say what they thought -- no holds barred.

“I looked at every game, every play, and my mom and I have got some real close family friends who’ve seen me play forever and could watch it with me,’’ Anderson said. “And they might not know too much of what’s going on, but they know me, they can critique me. And they did critique me.

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“The biggest thing they said was I wasn’t having fun, putting too much pressure on myself, not enjoying what I was doing. And then you could see there were some runs out there I’m capable of making that I wasn’t making. That there were some times they said it looked like I was taking plays off and I wasn’t running hard enough. When I sat back and look at it, I agreed with it. Oh, I argued with them, for sure, most definitely -- ‘I’m going through this, y’all don’t know what I’m going through’ -- but when I thought about it, they were right.’’

So with a sore knee and what he called “some bruised pride,’’ Anderson thought about changes he could make. He was a regular on the countless bike paths in the Denver area after the 2016 season; he tried boxing; he did things not related to football to try to help him play football.

All with two major goals in mind, beyond winning games: to play every game of the season and rush for at least 1,000 yards. Two things he had not done his previous four NFL seasons.

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over, thinking you’re going to get a different result, isn't it?’’ the 26-year-old said. “I think the knee injury put a lot in perspective about my game because you have time to sit back and think, time to watch how we played, some of the things that I see that I can do better, that you might not see in the heat of the moment. But that knee injury, I really took time to sit back and evaluate me.’’

“I’m proud of what C.J. has done, all the way from how he came to training camp to now,’’ Broncos coach Vance Joseph said. “He hasn’t had one of those years when he went from start to finish before. ... He has put the work in.’’

Overall, the season hasn't gone exactly as Anderson, or the Broncos, had planned. The team is 5-9, had an eight-game losing streak and has struggled to find its offensive identity.

As a result, Anderson has six games with 10 or fewer carries. Yet he has 858 yards rushing, including 158 in last Thursday night’s victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

The 858 yards is already a single-season best for him, and when Anderson has rushed for at least 100 yards, the Broncos are 2-0 this season and 7-0 in his career. It all means after the season ends, you just might see Anderson working through the big gears as he rides with so many others on those bike paths.

“I will repeat it all for sure,’’ Anderson said. “I might have found my niche. You know my fifth year, going into my sixth year, I might have finally found something that works for me and helps me get better, be the player I want to be.’’