Sunday’s Broncos game, a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers that moves Denver to 3-3 on the season, was a tale of two halves, or more accurately, three quarters plus one more. Anyone who claims to have watched the entire first half without nodding off is fibbing. Heading into the fourth quarter, Bo Nix and the Broncos offense produced a paltry 88 yards and zero points.
Bumps in the road were to be expected.
Yesterday, however, it felt as if the rookie quarterback was driving down one of Denver’s many pothole-filled streets with one or two flat tires and no shocks. If last week’s second half against the Raiders felt like Easy Street, the first three quarters against the Chargers were closer to Dead Man’s Curve.
Oddly, a flurry of offense in the fourth quarter – 228 yards, two touchdowns and a field goal – raised more questions than providing answers.
What took so long? Why couldn’t the offense do anything for three quarters, but looked adequate – if not good – for the fourth? Can Nix play the game? Can Sean Payton still call a game?
WTF?
The Broncos are far from a complete team. Everyone knew that though. With a young roster in the midst of a rebuild paired with the cap disaster that followed the dismissal of Russell Wilson, a lack of overall talent was to be expected. Even the defense, which has been the closest thing to a “complete” unit all season long, looked pedestrian against the ground and pound Chargers. To be fair, the Broncos best player (period), Patrick Surtain II, left the game after one snap with a concussion; that certainly didn’t help. But at some point, Payton’s offense was going to have to carry its own weight; that didn’t happen against the Chargers.
Nix did not have a good game; there’s really no other way to put it. But if the entire point of the season is to both evaluate and develop a rookie that will hopefully become the franchise quarterback, the most important question that follows a poor performance is simple:
Why?
When he doesn’t play well, is it because he just simply doesn’t have “it”? Or, are there reasons outside of his own abilities that make it impossible to succeed?
“All of this starts with me,” Payton said following the game.
Okay, then, Coach. Let’s assess that and start there.
Perhaps there’s more than a sliver of truth to that sentiment. If you find yourself screaming at the television – “Where was that in the first half!?” – you’re not alone. While, on average, the fine citizens of Broncos Country may not be Tony Romo, they’ve seen plenty of football – enough to know that Payton is holding the reins on Nix tightly. When Nix starts to shine in fourth quarter, down 23, it’s largely because his coach must allow him to let it rip.
“Let’s be honest,” Payton said, “(The offense) picked up when we started going up tempo and you are behind.”
Sure, the defense may take a different approach up 23, but the coach’s words also lead to another question: Why not play up tempo earlier and more often? If that’s where Nix excels, wouldn’t it stand to reason to make “up tempo” the norm instead of the exception?
I’m no Tony Romo either, but it sure does look like Payton places so many restrictions on his young quarterback early in games that the poor kid is practically handcuffed. There’s a fine line between keeping a youngster out of prickly situations and keeping him in bubble wrap. At times, it feels as if Nix isn’t allowed to do anything.
It’s not that simple, though. Nix needs more than a loosening of the reins.
For starters, he’s not exactly throwing to the league’s best receiving corps. Courtland Sutton makes spectacular catches, but on far too many plays, it doesn’t look like anybody is open. And if it looks that way to the average onlooker, imagine the view from behind Nix’s facemask. Aside from Sutton, the Broncos went young and cheap at wideout – and it shows.
At the risk of insulting cap-ologists and armchair GMs everywhere, what would the Broncos offense – or specifically, their QB in the making – look like if George Paton found a way to dress Davante Adams in orange and blue? Adams and his $140 million contract might not represent a longterm or financially feasible solution, but wouldn’t it be nice to see what Nix could do if the disgruntled Raider (or someone like him) were catching passes for Denver?
It’s not just receivers though.
Within Payton’s top-10 scoring offenses – of which there were 13 in his 16 years with the Saints – his tight ends have averaged nearly 59 receiving yards per game. On Sunday, the Broncos tight end position produced three catches for 15 yards. In fact, on the season, the Broncos tight end “room” has yet to reach the century mark with regard to total receiving yards. The combination of Greg Dulcich, Nate Adkins, Adam Trautman and Lucas Krull have produced a pathetic 94 receiving yards through six games.
If history is any kind of indictor, Payton’s offense just isn’t the same if he’s not getting production out of the tight end position. As unimpressive as the Broncos receiving corps is, the tight end group is even worse. Denver has lacked a quality, pass-catching tight end for quite some time, and this season the position is a glaring weakness. Without a good one, any quarterback playing in a Sean Payton offense is restricted; without a tight end, both Nix and Payton enter every game at a disadvantage.
Until it was too late on Sunday, Nix didn’t play well. The problem, though, is that it will be nearly impossible to evaluate the young quarterback “fully” until a few major needs are met.
What if Payton takes the training wheels off his handpicked quarterback?
What if Davante Adams were suddenly a Bronco?
What if Dulcich becomes the player he’s supposed to be, or the Broncos went out and traded for or drafted a competent tight end?
Nix has needs, many of which aren’t currently being met. A great meal can often take time to prepare, but it always requires quality ingredients. If Nix is to cook, he’ll need both time and a supporting cast.
Ultimately, Bo Nix will be given the time to grow, but that growth will be stunted if a few needs aren’t met.