10 weeks into the NFL season, where do the Denver Broncos’ stats rank?
We know they are 8-2 overall and lead the AFC West. But, let’s dive into their team and individual stats to see where they rank compared to the rest of the league.
Denver Broncos stats check-in: Defense is elite, Bo Nix is struggling
The most-important stat category is wins and losses. And right now, the Broncos are 8-2, which is crucial.
But we all know the world of NFL football is a complicated place and games have many different facets.
Complimentary football, where teams play well in all three phases, is the goal of many teams. Unfortunately, the Broncos have only played one game like that. It was the blowout 44-24 win over the Dallas Cowboys.
For every other week, the defense has led the charge and pushed the team to victories.
So, let’s start with their amazing numbers.
Denver’s Defense is Elite
The Broncos defense is third in points allowed at 17.3 per game, and they’ve also allowed the third-fewest yards in the NFL.
Their stellar numbers only begin there, though.
Denver’s the stingiest defense to convert a 3rd down against, allowing opponents to do so only 28.1% of the time. They’re also the No. 1 red zone defense. They’ve given up a score in the red zone a mere 37.5% of the time.
That’s nearly 10% points higher than the next-best team, the Philadelphia Eagles, who’ve allowed scores on 46.1% of trips to the end zone.
How they’re defeating teams is multi-faceted. The front seven is getting after the quarterback like no other team while the back end is covering opposing receivers in lockdown fashion.
To wit: Denver’s led the league in team sacks all season long and their lead has widened lately. Through 10 games, they have 46 sacks, which is 14 more than the Steelers in second.
In fact, it’s the most sacks by an NFL team since 1990. They’re historically great.
Nik Bonitto leads the way with 9.5 sacks and Johnathon Cooper is next with 7.5 on the year. Meanwhile, Zach Allen, who leads all interior linemen with 6.0 sacks, has an NFL-leading 28 QB hits. The next-highest in that category? It’s Bonitto with 20.
Denver’s D is also No. 1 in rushing yards per attempt (3.6) and they’ve allowed the fewest passing touchdowns (8).
Bo Nix is Struggling Mightily
It doesn’t seem like Bo Nix is in a full-on sophomore slump, but he’s coming off his worst passing game since his first-ever NFL game.
Against the Raiders, Nix finished with a terrible 54.2 passer rating. Only his first career start in Sept. 2024 (47.5) was worse.
It’s not just that, he’s thrown at least one interception in three straight games. That’s doubled his total on the year from four to eight.
When looking at his passer rating, the news isn’t great. Bo Nix has an 85.7 passer rating currently, which is seventh-worst in the NFL. That’s worse than: Justin Fields, Jaxson Dart, Kyler Murray, Tua Tagovailoa, Michael Penix, and Spencer Rattler, among others.
Are any of those players franchise quarterbacks? Murray is the only one to receive a massive deal, and he’s nothing more than mediocre. Meanwhile, Tua seems to be a fringe starter, like Fields, and the jury is still out on the young guys.
Some have to be wondering if Bo Nix is a franchise quarterback at this point, too.
30% of his passes have been uncatchable this year, and his accuracy struggles on passes over 10 yards.
On the positive side of things, Nix’s 21 touchdowns scored are tied for second-most among QBs behind Matt Stafford (25).
He’s also only been sacked a total of 10 times this year, which is tied with Sam Darnold for the least among starters. Part of that has to do with Denver’s elite offensive line, but Nix also does a good job evading pressure.
Nix has also been at his best in the fourth quarter. His 63.27 completion percentage is his best of any quarter, as is his 98.4 rating. He’s thrown for 7 touchdowns vs. 2 interceptions in that game-deciding quarter.
Offensively, the Broncos are 17th in points per game (25.3), 20th on 3rd downs (37.6%), and 10th in the red zone (64.5%).
Special Teams is So-So
On the positive side for the Broncos special teams, Wil Lutz has been mostly fantastic.
He earned Special Teams Player of the Month of October and is now 12-15 on field goals and 23-23 on extra points. One of his field goals was blocked in Week 9 against the Texans.
That allowed block was one of many gaffes by the special teams this year.
They were called for a leverage penalty on the final field goal against the Colts, which gave Indy another shot at the try 15 yards closer, which they made to win.
Darren Rizzi’s unit is also third-worst in kickoff and punt return yardage allowed. They give up 29.0 yards per return.
And in Week 8 against the Cowboys, with the Broncos up 20 points and 4 minutes to play, Rizzi was supposed to get Marvin Mims out of the game. Instead, he sustained a concussion and has been out for the last two games.
Meanwhile, Marvin Mims is 6th in punt return average and 8th in kickoff return average.
The Broncos are also 16th in yards per punt (47.7) but No. 1 in punts downed within the 20 (20).
This week, the 8-2 Broncos host the 5-4 Chiefs coming off the bye. Andy Reid is 22-4 all-time when coming off a bye week, like Kansas City is. The game kicks off at 2:25 p.m. MT on Sunday, Nov. 16.