The Denver Broncos offense couldn’t keep up with the high-octane Baltimore Ravens in Sunday’s 41-10 blowout loss. While Denver embraced an aggressive approach, they missed some opportunities on Sunday, but also made a handful of plays that are promising signs regarding the further development of rookie quarterback Bo Nix.
Denver Broncos Film Room: Bo Nix, Broncos offense miss opportunity vs. Ravens
Sunday’s game showcased that the Denver Broncos aren’t quite there yet when it comes to some of the powerhouses in the AFC. The Baltimore Ravens are the real deal, and Denver ran into their biggest challenge yet.
Offensively, Denver turned the ball over on their first possession of the game. Bo Nix and the Broncos offense ran the same exact play they did against the Carolina Panthers that saw Denver fake the toss after a fullback motion into a boot action play, where Adam Trautman had a 37-yard catch and run. It didn’t end in the same result for Denver, though, because Nix had to alter the trajectory of his pass because Kyle Van Noy was getting his hands up. Nix delivered a catchable pass to Lil’Jordan Humphrey, who tipped it with one hand, leading to it being intercepted.
On 4th and 4, Nix missed a wide-open Troy Franklin on a slot fade shot play. Nix’s footwork was solid, he had enough time in the pocket for a quick shot, but sailed it on Franklin, which was a negative mark on Nix’s day. Aside from that, Nix was a bright spot.
The Ravens altered a lot of their coverage into zone and match looks, sprinkled in man-to-man coverage in situations where they’d send five or more rushers after the quarterback. Nix demonstrated various times going to the right spot against the coverage the defense had, including a nice back-shoulder throw down the left sideline to Courtland Sutton against match coverage, where Nix knew he had a one-on-one in comparison to everybody else being covered up by the Ravens zone.
If there’s anything we gathered from the film, the Denver Broncos need some more playmakers to compliment Sutton and Nix.
