Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos are 0-2 with a visit to the 2-0 Tampa Bay Buccaneers up next in Week 3.
The Buccaneers’ defensive approach could present a significant challenge for the Broncos, who had issues with their offensive line before right tackle Mike McGlinchey suffered a knee injury that landed him on injured reserve for the next four weeks at least.
While Nix has not been at his best, Broncos head coach Sean Payton is also at fault.
“The quarterback is not blameless while guiding an offense that cannot find the end zone with Google Maps,” The Denver Post’s Troy Renck wrote on September 20. “First, context is required. Coach Sean Payton has failed Nix. Nix has averaged 44 dropbacks, an indefensible number for a rookie.
“The offense looks nothing like the one featured in the preseason or the scrimmage against the Packers. That attack included tilts to Nix’s college strengths with run-pass-options, quarterback runs and naked bootlegs with one progression reads.”
Broncos QB Bo Nix, on how he reacts when teammates drop passes: “I mean, when I miss a pass, they don’t come up and harp on me. So I think I gotta treat them the same exact way. And, yeah, we’re professionals, and we have a high standard, but we’re allowed to mess up, too. And we…
Renck lamented the Broncos’ “conservative approach” to the first half in their Week 2 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
He also pointed to the disparity of the Broncos’ run-pass splits.
“If I had known Payton was going to throw the ball relentlessly, I would have advocated Jarrett Stidham start and let him wear it for the first month against four former defensive coordinators working as head coaches,” Renck wrote.
The Broncos rank fifth in passing attempts and 25th in rushes following Thursday Night Football.
That is not a recipe for success with a rookie quarterback. It also goes against what Payton said he wanted to do coming into the season and after the Week 1 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
“I’ve said this before, for any quarterback playing, we’ve got to be more effective running the football,” Payton told reporters after the loss to Pittsburgh, pointing to the deficit on the ground minus scrambling yards.
Insider Highlights Unflattering Metrics on Bo Nix
Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame is not letting Nix off the hook. He pointed to the Nix’s strong preseason in contrast to what the rookie has shown through two weeks.
“The problem? The preseason is over, and so is the honeymoon,” Verderame wrote on September 19. “Against the Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers, Nix threw for 384 yards on 5.0 yards per attempt with zero touchdowns and four interceptions. If you take away garbage time in last Sunday’s loss to Pittsburgh, his EPA per play in Week 2 ranked 30th at -0.429, ahead only of Anthony Richardson and Bryce Young.
“For the year, Nix is only ahead of Young and Deshaun Watson in success rate (33.7%) while struggling to generate any offense. Denver scored 20 points in Seattle but was aided by two red zone turnovers from the Seahawks, along with two safeties. Last weekend, the total output was two meaningless field goals.”
Nix’s collegiate experience, often touted as a strength, also presents a hard truth.
“At 24 years old, Nix needs to be good now to justify his first-round status,” Verderame wrote. “So far, that’s not happening.”
Bo Nix is Broncos QB1 for Better or Worse
For his part, Nix owned up to needing to perform better. Despite his struggles, Renck says there is no turning back.
Nix must be allowed to work through his issues while the rest of the offense sorts itself out.
“The genie is not taking Ozempic to squeeze back into the bottle. This is Nix’s job, his season, as it should be,” Renck wrote. “He has to get better. Nix gained the coaching staff’s trust with his ability to correct mistakes. It is time to start seeing that player. Watching the film of the first two games, Nix is not showing the pocket awareness anticipated.
“It is new, uncomfortable and difficult. But there is money in the deep pocket, and time for Nix to start cashing in.”
