To put it briefly, Denver Broncos supporters are worried about quarterback Bo Nix, a rookie selected in the first round. Being 0–2 at the beginning of the season for the second straight year is awful enough, but Nix and the offense’s dismal play have brought back that all-too-familiar pit-of-the-stomach sensation in Broncos Country.

Viewers are old enough to recall what it was like to see Paxton Lynch, a first-round pick from 2016, cry on the sidelines in the Black Hole or watch Drew Lock, a second-round pick from 2019, try to establish himself in the NFL while dealing with a succession of incompetent coaches. Unfortunately, the Broncos’ years-long losing record was closely linked to the collapse of those two prominent quarterback draft selections.

With Sean Payton’s quarterback background and NFL record along with Nix’s experience and college output, the idea was that this time would be different for the Broncos. Despite our best efforts to enumerate and distinguish between the causes and the justifications, Nix and Payton have not yet demonstrated their ability to end the cycle.

The offense for the Broncos was appallingly poor in their 13–6 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. The Steelers were able to stack the box and tee off on Nix because the Broncos were having trouble running the ball.

Though the Broncos did start moving the ball significantly in the third quarter, Payton was unable to mount a strong enough defense against Mike Tomlin’s confusing jabs. Nix had two interceptions (one of which was a dagger in the end zone), 246 passing yards, zero touchdowns, and a QB rating of… wait for it… 55.2 at the conclusion of the day.

Nix’s 57.1 completion rate, which isn’t fantastic but could be worse, was the only statistically significant good aspect of his day at work. Nevertheless, Pittsburgh gladly let him slam the ball within five yards of the line of scrimmage. Similar to Nix’s NFL debut in Seattle the previous week, Payton has shown a great deal of defensiveness about his rookie quarterback.

Payton appeared understandably tense at the podium after the game, but he was more contemplative in his Monday conference call. Studying the movie beforehand is helpful, and he shared his positive learnings from Nix’s first home debut as a Bronco.

“Yesterday, I felt he processed rather rapidly. Regarding Nix, Payton remarked, “I felt he got into some of his progressions really well.”

Similar to the Seattle game, Payton took the fall for not placing Nix and his teammates in a better schematic and play-calling position. Nevertheless, the Broncos head coach persisted in emphasizing that the rookie’s supporting group was performing better around him.

“We’ve got to separate a little bit more and give our guys better opportunities when we’re getting a lot of match or man coverage,” Payton stated. We need to look into some different schemes that, in my opinion, can aid in the one-on-one matchups that we are banking on. We successfully completed a few RPOs. Sure, let’s expand on that, but I concur. I felt like we saw progress and that he was a confident player. I believe someone asked me about his confidence after the game. From that perspective, I feel inspired.

Payton criticized the Broncos’ poor play and expensive penalties, and he threw down the gauntlet to be more reliable in both run and pass blocking. Despite the small sample size of just two games, it is evident that Nix is considerably more at ease when Payton calls a high-tempo offense; yet, in the context of a typical game, those scenarios are typically saved for the end of the half and the fourth quarter.

However, Peyton Manning was among the first NFL quarterbacks to see the tactical benefit of using a hurry-up offense to keep the opposition defense reeling and on its heels for the entirety of a game. Payton has plenty of experience doing the same thing with the New Orleans Saints and Drew Brees. In Super Bowl XLIV, he even triumphed over Manning and the Indianapolis Colts.

It’s difficult to determine whether Nix has improved since the start of the regular season, but he seems to be most at ease and effective while playing off-schedule and at a faster pace. In the first half against the Steelers, Nix was always under internal pressure. The rookie quarterback appeared a little nervous, scrambling too early and unable to manipulate the pocket, even if Denver’s blocking became better in the second half.

Judging on his comments on Monday, Payton might be beginning to see how to help his rookie with play-calling and offset some of the offensive shortcomings of the Broncos up front.

A few things that are captured on video. Payton spoke highly of Nix, saying, “You see, early on, us struggle inside, which forces him out of the pocket.” Later in the second half, you do notice a clearer pocket, and he rushes it. It involves building your self-assurance in both climbing and operating within the parameters of your safety.”

When there’s no pocket, it’s hard to build the courage to climb it. On the O-line is that. Although Nix’s confidence is clearly a source of concern, Payton maintained that his quarterback’s mentality remains positive and praised his pocket presence as a basis to “build on.”

“He does have a good pocket presence for the most part,” Payton stated. He is not the type of person who will simply try to run away and hide. In terms of the design of what you’re trying to do in the drop-back passing game, we therefore need to expand on that and ensure that it kind of starts with that.

Broncos HC Sean Payton Explains How Bo Nix has ‘Encouraged’ Him on Film

Payton highlighted the ‘D’ word—design—as she wrapped up that specific statement. Whether we like to admit it or not, Payton is largely to blame for Nix’s and the offense’s problems. Payton is not putting the Broncos in a position to succeed as a play-caller and tactician, whether it is because he placed too much faith in the rookie too fast or simply takes too long to make adjustments in-game.

Taking into account everything we know about Payton, it’s stunning. Recall that this is the same person who helped Brees establish a Hall of Fame career by winning a Super Bowl in New Orleans. In addition, Payton was successful with every starting quarterback he faced during his 16 years in the Bayou.

Further back, Payton had a significant impact on Tony Romo’s growth and final success in Dallas. Thanks to Payton, the Cowboys even won 10 games in 2003 when Quincy Carter was the quarterback. Before that, Payton revived the career of Kerry Collins, who in 2000 guided the New York Giants to a Super Bowl appearance before they were quickly destroyed by the Baltimore Ravens defense under Ray Lewis’ leadership.

It’s hard to see how Payton could be so far off base given Nix’s age, background, and skill. It would be one thing if Nix went out there and gave two uneven performances in two tight losses, but what has scared every Broncos supporter and member of the media is the extent of his struggles and lack of output.

In all honesty, both the media and the fans are tired of hearing about it. They’re sick of the trite remarks, coach jargon, and soft-spoken guarantees.

Numerous people in Broncos Country are leaving and checking out. The Broncos have finished without the playoffs for eight straight seasons, thus the song “Close but no cigar” lost its appeal a long time ago.

With Nix, we anticipated some growth pains in the first year. It was always going to be felt and ultimately insignificant that this year’s salary limit did not include the record $80 million (in dead money) that Denver’s rivals and colleagues have been allowed to spend on individuals. Payton paid that price to halt the Russell Wilson experiment five years ahead of schedule.

The offensive line is suffering from a severe lack of investment, particularly in the skill positions. However, this head coach has an offensive mindset. Payton has a long and illustrious history of making lemonade out of offensive situations.

However, this offense’s 2024 start is similar to Vic Fangio’s poor defense during the first three months of the 2019 campaign. As the most powerful defensive coordinator of the day, Fangio had just finished a stellar season as the coordinator in Chicago. Despite this, the Broncos had started 0-4 in his first season as head coach in Denver and had yet to record a single sack.

How may the Broncos’ issues stem directly from Payton’s NFL calling card? It doesn’t stack up, which is why some are starting to question Payton’s job security as head coach of the Broncos and the Nix decision. Right now, Payton’s credibility is completely nonexistent.

Look, it’s way too early to give any meaningful attention to either of those doubts. I’m just saying them here because I’m hearing and seeing them everywhere at the moment. It is undoubtedly already a thing.

The information that Payton and Nix have to start the season against two of the NFL’s top defenses is not what fans want to hear. Why? Considering that Payton is regarded as one of the greatest offensive brains in the history of the NFL. It embodies incongruency perfectly.

In summary

Starting to air it on gameday is the only way Payton and the Broncos can win back the doubting media and long-suffering supporters. When the chips are down, stop blaming and start providing.

The sermon has ended.