Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton was generally pleased with the performance of rookie quarterback Bo Nix after watching film of the team's 26-20 loss at Seattle on Sunday.
It's the group around Nix that he said needs to perform better.
"I think when I watch this tape offensively, we need to be better around him, and we will be," Payton said on Monday.
Nix completed 26 of 42 passes for 138 yards and no touchdowns while getting intercepted twice. He did score the Broncos' lone touchdown on a 4-yard scramble in the fourth quarter to cut the Seahawks' lead to six points.
That Nix led the Broncos with 35 rushing yards was at the core of Payton's issues. Running backs Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin combined for only 50 yards on 18 carries.
Payton's game plan involved running the ball effectively in order to keep Nix in manageable down-and-distance situations. However, with the inability to establish the run compounded by falling behind multiple scores in the second half, Nix was forced to throw into the teeth of the Seahawks' secondary.
"I said it yesterday (and) I'll say it again. One of the key things that was important in this game is winning the run game battle, and we weren't able to do that," Payton said. "We struggled and in that inefficiency on first and second down, it was one of our keys to victory and we were anything but."
Of Nix's 138 passing yards, 54 came on the Broncos' final two drives with Denver trailing by 13 points. One drive ended in an interception, while Nix punctuated the other with his touchdown run.
"Certainly, when we watched this game tape and evaluate the cue, there's a number of things that we'll get cleaned up and corrected," Payton said.
The Broncos' second-year coach said the pass protection and run blocking "wasn't good enough," while pointing to several missed reads on running lanes that were available. Payton also said Nix was hampered by multiple drops from his receivers.
"There may be a game where we plan on throwing it 40 times, not many. So often times, time of possession and runs in the fourth quarter, if you're up by 10 or more, can get skewed a little bit in your favor, but this is the game where it's the opposite," Payton said. "You're having to throw it to get back in it late."
The Broncos did come out of the game largely healthy, with Payton saying that X-rays and an MRI for a contusion on offensive tackle Garett Bolles' leg came back negative.
