The Denver Broncos offense was anything but Sleepless in Seattle.

The Broncos lost 26-20 Sunday’s season opener against the Seattle Seahawks as a shaky debut by Bo Nix, poor second half defense, and missed opportunities early on plagued them in what ended up being a brutal showing in Week 1.

Bo Nix struggles in Broncos debut

There will be a lot of things for Denver to clean up, both on offense and defense and the road won’t be easy for them.

Bo Nix will have to bounce back quickly after shaky debut

Nix didn’t have the type of debut anybody had hoped for or expected from him in the regular season opener. Early on, Sean Payton worked in some short, quick passes to try and get him in rhythm. When Denver tried to throw downfield, Nix’s shakiness showed up with several near interceptions and a rough interception after throwing off his back foot.

His best throw of the day came right before halftime, where he connected with Josh Reynolds on a nice 25-yard backshoulder throw and catch. For most of the first half, it looked like Nix was rattled, and nerves were affecting him, which prompted a lot of panic and frustration on social media.

While the expectations for him were higher than what we saw in his debut, he’s got to continue to grow and experience these types of moments and keep throwing. Denver’s season, or Nix’s for that matter, isn’t going to be defined by a shaky start.

The rookie finished 26-of-42 passing for 138 yards, two interceptions, and one rushing touchdown. Nix struggled across the middle of the field and threw various times into double coverage.

He had more rough moments than promising moments, and he’ll have to flush them out of his system quickly. The noise will be loud from the fanbase and, of course, in the media, but how he responds to this performance will be very telling.

Payton will have to do more to also help him out, as Denver’s receiving game lacked explosiveness. Marvin Mims, who was promised a more featured role on offense this season only saw one offensive target. Courtland Sutton had four catches on 12 targets for 38 yards, while Josh Reynolds led the team in receiving with 45 yards on five catches.

The Broncos’ run game was non-existent, with Jaleel McLaughlin seeing ten touches for 27 yards and Javonte Williams getting eight carries for 23 yards. Even when Denver was still in the game, Payton and Nix appeared to press more in the passing game.

Denver Broncos special teams, defense came up big in several moments

They say the best offense is a good defense, and Denver’s special teams and defensive units helped give them produce something. Wil Lutz booted in three field goals, but it was Riley Dixon, JL Skinner, and Tremon Smith’s contributions that helped generate some momentum in the first half.

This play pinned the Seahawks offense on their own one-yard line, setting up Zach Allen to force a safety in the endzone on a tackle for a loss, which gave Denver a 10-9 lead in the second quarter. D.J. Jones and the Broncos defensive line generated pressure on Smith at a consistent rate, with one pressure leading to a holding call in the endzone that led to the first safety of the game.

Jonathon Cooper came up big with two on the afternoon. Alex Singleton had an interception on the second play from scrimmage. Defensively, the Broncos were strong in the first half but sputtered drastically in the second half, allowing Kenneth Walker Jr to surpass 100 yards rushing in the third quarter alone.

Simply put, Denver’s defense was on the field longer than their offense was and that element of the game boiled over for them in the third quarter and the fourth.

Patrick Surtain II held DK Metcalf to three catches for 29 yards on four targets and did his job. He was called for two penalties in the game.

Broncos penalties and third down issues also costly

One area Payton wanted to clean up this season was the team’s issues with penalties, third-down struggles, and red zone opportunities. Some of those issues persisted in Sunday’s season opener.

Denver committed eight penalties that impacted 60 yards. On third down, they were an abysmal 5-of-18 and faced an average of 7.6 yards to go in those situations on the afternoon. The Broncos were 1-of-4 in the red zone despite having two drives that started out deep in Seattle territory.

It doesn’t get easier as the team prepares for their home opener against a very tough Pittsburgh Steelers defense, with former quarterback Russell Wilson potentially returning from a hamstring injury that held him out against the Atlanta Falcons.

Broncos head coach Sean Payton will meet with the media on a Zoom conference call on Monday morning.