The Denver Broncos lost Sunday’s Week 2 home opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers in a game where rookie quarterback Bo Nix continued to struggle, Denver’s run game couldn’t get going, and injuries impacted them at several key positions.
Denver Broncos offense lackluster in loss to Steelers
In Sunday’s loss to the Steelers, the Denver Broncos had 99 problems, and they were all offense.
Denver Broncos offense too one dimensional
First and second down were once again areas of difficulty for the Broncos offense on Sunday. Whether they’d gain one or two yards or lose yards, they found themselves facing several long-field situations throughout the game. Often, at times, the personnel looks for Denver’s offense seemingly tipped their hand to what they planned to do. For instance, on a third down play in the first half, the Broncos lined up empty with Nate Adkins and Jaleel McLaughlin both lined up on the outside and Courtland Sutton in the slot. It was easy for the defense to eliminate two options that would likely get the ball in that scenario, and it was incomplete.
What was even more puzzling is that Denver decided to go for it on fourth and seven right before halftime despite not having a single ounce of offensive production besides a Bo Nix run and Tyler Badie 16-yard run. That pass fell incomplete as the team trailed 7-0. At that point, Denver’s offense was 1-of-5 on third down and only had 62 net yards of offense. The Steelers took advantage of the turnover on downs and found a way to punch it in right before halftime to put Denver in a 10-0 deficit.
10-0 feeling like an impossible task for Denver to climb back from is problematic and more indicative of the offense, than the defense. While it’s understandable that Nix is a rookie, the offensive scheme at least two weeks into the season doesn’t seem to do much to help him out. Whether it’s a personnel issue or a scheme issue is a bigger question. When the Steelers have 13 first downs, and Denver’s offense has three total at halftime, that’s a problem.
Nix continued to struggle in his second game. He launched a 49-yard pass on a trick play but threw an interception on the very next play against zone coverage. The rookie also had some issues with accuracy on downfield throws. While Nix has to play better, I still believe the offensive system also has to help him out. He was pressured quite a bit from the A-gap and off the outside against T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith.
Another issue with the offense has been Javonte Williams continued struggles running the football, finishing with 1.5 yards per carry on Sunday. We’ll have to go back and watch the All-22, but Sunday’s game felt impossible for Williams and the offense to pick up three or four yards on a rushing attempt sometimes, with the exception of Badie’s 16-yard burst early on. Granted, all of this comes against an elite Steelers defense, but that can’t be an excuse for why the run game didn’t work.
Broncos Country is already calling him a bust and is already ready to move on, but it’s far too premature for any of that. In order for Nix to get to where he needs to be, he needs to be able to have the room to grow and struggle, and while he deserves some valid criticism early on, coaching and personnel also deserve an equal share of the criticism and blame. It could be a long, ugly season, but it could be a necessary evil to allow him to get more engrained.
Denver’s defense can’t sustain the offense’s lack of efficiency all season
Going into the second half of today’s game, the Steelers were dominating the overall time of possession 20:40 to Denver’s 11:26. The frequency in which the Broncos’ defense was on the field was too high. Sure, Denver’s D didn’t make enough plays on a few drives that took some time off the clock, but the bigger issue is when the offense’s first four possessions featured two three-and-outs, one punt after six plays, and a turnover on downs on an eight-play, 36-yard drive.
When Denver’s defense got stops, the offense didn’t convert or move the ball.
In the second half, the Broncos defense forced the Steelers to punt on six of their seven offensive possessions, holding them to one field goal. They did more than enough to help the Broncos potentially win this game if the offense could have found a way to get going.
Injuries are beginning to pile up
Going into Sunday’s game, the Broncos were banged up on offense. Rookie Devaughn Vele didn’t play after suffering a rib injury last week.
In Sunday’s game, the Broncos lost defensive end John Franklin-Myers (concussion) and outside linebacker Baron Browning (foot). Both players did not return.
Right tackle Mike McGlinchey got rolled up on at the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter and walked off the field with trainers. He did not return.
Cornerback Riley Moss landed on his ribs in the second quarter but was able to come out and finish the game. Safety JL Skinner (ankle) suffered an ankle injury but did return to the game.
Nik Bonitto started the second half in place of Browning, while Malcolm Roach started in place of Franklin-Myers.
