Intro by Doug Ottewill
No, Bo wasn’t great.
But it wasn’t all on him.
The last person to ever make an excuse for his performance is Bo Nix himself, so, we’ll do a little of that for him. Nix said this week that watching the tape was “positive” – we can only assume that means he learned a lot. He threw nobody under the bus – a sign of a good leader – but there’s plenty of blame to go around when it comes to the Broncos first loss, and perhaps more specifically, some reasons why Nix didn’t shine as everyone had hoped.
Heading back home at 0-1, the Broncos face the Russell Wilson-(less?) Steelers (Steelers Country….let’s…mine?) looking to get in the win column. If they’re to get the job done, their rookie signal caller must have a better game. But, as the discussion has gone this week, Nix’s success involves a lot more than just an accurate throw or two. In this installment of the Mile High Sports Broncos Preview, we asked our in-house experts what must happen in order to get the most out of Nix.
Cody Roark
The run game, plain and simple. Denver had too many negatives behind the line of scrimmage or 1-yard gains on first and second down, which made it easier for the Seahawks to play them defensively. I’d go with more Bo Nix under center looks and try and run the ball inside.
Dan Mohrmann
There was a genuine effort to run the ball last week, but the execution turned out to be the biggest problem. If that issue can be addressed, that would be a tremendous help to Nix. However, when he has to throw, it has to be better than 2 or 3-yard completions so the passing game might have to open up a bit. This should be a low-scoring game so time of possession is going to be crucial. Run, run, run and convert a 3rd down every once in a while.
Mark Knudson
The Steelers defense is a lot better than Seattle’s. But there won’t be the noise distractions this week, which should help Nix. Regardless, if the Broncos can’t run the ball their young QB will be overwhelmed again. Run the ball effectively and then some down field shots might be available. Clearly the Bronco receivers have to get better separation because Nix doesn’t have the pure arm strength to fit into tight windows.
Rich Kurtzman
The Broncos need to continue to work the short passing game, especially considering the lack of protection Nix had last week. Protection will likely be even more important this week with TJ Watt and the Steelers staunch front attacking him. Part of the issue last week was the line, but Nix held the ball too long and got happy feet when he felt any semblance of pressure. It would be great to get tight ends involved, too.
Shawn Drotar
There needs to be far more creativity from Payton. Broncos receivers Courtland Sutton, Josh Reynolds, Devaughn Vele and Lil’Jordan Humphrey don’t have big-time YAC ability, so Payton will have to throw deeper downfield to generate production from that foursome. Marvin Mims Jr. has speed, as does rookie Troy Franklin, but Franklin isn’t ready for prime-time yet, and – for whatever reason – Payton hasn’t made Mims a major part of the offense since he was the Broncos’ first draft pick a year-and-a-half ago. The running game needs a much bigger commitment from their head coach (even without injured rookie powerhouse Audric Estimé), and two-back sets and delayed handoffs would go a long way towards keeping Steelers superstar T.J. Watt from wrecking the Broncos’ game plan. Obviously, Nix has to be much better, as well; I wasn’t surprised by his rookie reaction to NFL game speed last week, but he can’t keep throwing behind his receivers and expect to keep moving the chains. That adjustment may not happen this week, however, so it’s incumbent on the head coach to maximize the abilities of the players he has on Sunday, rather than the players he wishes he had.