Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos had a chance to win their Week 2 tilt versus the Pittsburgh Steelers but ultimately fell 13-6.
Broncos head coach Sean Payton has faced criticism from The Denver Post’s Troy Renck for his gameplan with Nix, which has leaned heavily on the pass in light of a running game that has struggled so far. Payton has defended Nix, pointing to other parts of the roster.
However, comments from Steelers players in the locker room afterward point to Payton and Nix.
“With all these young quarterbacks, you play to their strengths. It’s just simple coaching. You’re going to play to what they know,” Underdog Fantasy’s James Palmer told Steve Smith on the “89” podcast on September 18. “But at the same time, when I’ve talked to enough coaches around the league, it’s, ‘But you better start teaching them the other things that they need to learn to play this position in the NFL. Because you can’t just go out there with the stuff you know. Defenses will eat you alive.
“I was just in the Steelers locker room going against a rookie in Bo Nix in his second NFL start. And I’m talking to the Steelers corners, and they’re sitting there laughing in the corner going, ‘We knew the playbook was [small]. We know they weren’t going to take any shots, and we know what he likes to do. They’re going to make it easy on him to go here and here, and that’s all we had to worry about.”
Nix did connect deep against Pittsburgh. But that has been the exception and not the rule.
BO NIX LAUNCHED IT ON THE TRICK PLAY 🚀
(via @NFL)
Palmer clarified that he was “not calling out” Payton. However, he did emphasize that it was on the coach to bring a young quarterback along with a mix of what they know and new concepts along the way.
The Broncos have tried to get Nix’s deep ball going but it has not clicked.
Bo Nix’s Deep Ball Woes Hurting Broncos’ Offense
Nix is 5-for-22 (22.7%) for 132 yards with 0 touchdowns and has thrown all 4 of his interceptions on passes that travel 10-plus yards down the field, per Pro Football Focus.
“What we saw in the first half against the Steelers reflected an approach so conservative that punting seemed the goal. The opposite unfurled in the second half with repeated deep shots. Are there no shades of gray?” Renck wrote on September 19.
Even when the Broncos are dialing up the deep shots, Nix is not connecting.
Nix is completing 59.7% of his passes for 384 yards with 0 touchdowns and 4 picks on the year. That is a far cry from the 76.7-2-0 line he posted in the preseason.
Questions about Nix’s ability to drive the ball down the field have followed him throughout his journey to the NFL. He has often been compared to Drew Brees, who also dealt with questions about his deep ball but overcame it with precision timing to get the ball where it needed to be.
Nix and Payton must iron out their respective issues for the Broncos’ offense to work as it should.
Broncos Need Running Game to Set Up Play Action
Nix is also the Broncos’ leading rusher with 60 yards and 1 touchdown on 9 attempts. Starting running back Javonte Williams has 40 yards on 19 carries.
Top backup and third-down back Jaleel McLaughlin has 33 yards on 13 totes. The Broncos are without rookie bruiser Audric Estime who is dealing with an ankle injury. They do have former Baltimore Ravens draft pick Tyler Badie, whom Renck advocated for starting.
However, Payton described a red zone-specific plan for Badie to explain his light use in Week 2.
Whether it is Badie, getting Williams going, or even leaning more on McLaughlin, the Broncos have to get the running game going.
The threat of the run game keeps defenses honest and opens up easier deep shots via play-action. Per PFF, Nix is completing 55.6% of his passes for 89 yards and 1 interception on his play-action passes in 2024.
Nix ranks seventh and is tied for the fourth-most play-action attempts through two weeks.
Payton and offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi are on one accord about Nix. They need to fix the run game to make the offense work.
