The Denver Broncos offense has been trying to find a way to put together a consistent showing for four quarters. So far, their road win vs. Tampa Bay was easily their best demonstration, but Sunday’s win against the Las Vegas Raiders showcased what they can do if they can piece things together.

Denver Broncos offensive production is key on early downs

Following Sunday’s win against the Raiders, Broncos head coach Sean Payton met with us for his weekly morning conference call. In Sunday’s win, Denver’s offense struggled in the first half on first and second down, and that impacted their production on third down.

Going into the locker room at halftime, the Broncos offense was 1-of-6 on third down and ultimately finished 3-of-12 overall in the game. They also had 40 total rushing yards at halftime and four penalties that impacted them for 25 yards. On one instance in the first half, Denver faced a 2nd and 38. When things like that happen, and the offensive operation goes backward on first and second down, it limits so much of what you can run from a playcalling standpoint.

“I think I said it yesterday,” Payton said. “You have to have snaps, and then you have to convert third downs. It’s being better on third down to afford yourself the drives and to afford yourself more plays, time of possession. We’ll continue to work on that, but that has a big part because if you just look at and you said, ‘How many handoffs did we have in the first half?’ How many plays did we have in the first half? Then more importantly, third-down numbers in the first half. I think there’s a correlation there.”

Denver finished the game with 58 total offensive snaps when Payton would like to be in the range of 70-72. In the first half alone, the Broncos offense had eight total rush attempts, but had 16 dropbacks for rookie QB Bo Nix. It’s no secret that the run game opening itself up has been a key for finding balance in Denver’s offensive production. Tyler Badie’s 43-yard run against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is an example, Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin’s impactful drive in the second half vs. the New York Jets and Williams getting going once again against the Raiders — put more pressure on the opposing defense and allowed Nix to be able to find time to throw at various points of the second half.

The key to sustainability and unlocking what this offense can become starts and ends with first—and second-down efficiency, which, if successful, puts them in more favorable third-down situations.

In terms of Payton’s analysis on how Nix played on Sunday, there’s a lot to be said about the developing picture.

“We watched the tape this morning, and what we just talked about there might be four plays he’s looking at [saying], ‘I wish we would’ve, I could’ve done this,'” Payton said. “I think overall he’s understanding the game better and better relative to… The amount of personnel groupings for instance that he sees defensively. We’re in nickel; they’re in base. Then they’re in penny; then they’re in nickel. How that impacts protections is much different than when the player is in college. He might go the whole game where he sees dime defense and maybe a few change ups. So he’s doing a real good job with his protections and understanding where he’s short. I think he’s playing with confidence, and every week his feet make some plays for us that are important. I keep getting back to—I think there were two sacks yesterday—but he’s hard to sack. When he plays, you’re not on the cusp of a minus play. He has real good command of what he’s doing. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: we have to keep painting a better picture around him.”

So much of Denver’s offensive operation this season has been defined by the sum of its parts, and while there are times Nix can play better, the offense doesn’t fall solely on him. There’s a collective share of accountability between Nix, Payton, and the personnel around on that side of the ball.

The goal is to keep stacking, and that’s the hope for the Denver Broncos this week as they prepare for the Los Angeles Chargers.