Bo Nix Didn’t Like the Call
Eight New York Jets defenders showed pressure against just five available Broncos blockers, with the rest of Nix’s arsenal split out wide as Denver looked for a spark deep in its own territory. Sensing trouble, Nix killed the play, checked into a run, and chaos ensued.
Tight end Evan Engram, lined up in the slot, pointed around in confusion before nodding at Marvin Mims Jr. Mims initially went to block Engram’s man but quickly realized Engram had it covered and then sprinted downfield as if the play would break open. Meanwhile, rookie Pat Bryant, split out wide, stood with his hands outstretched in confusion for six full seconds before the ball was actually snapped.
All of this confusion culminated in a third-and-10 handoff for fullback Adam Prentice.
“It’s not like we were planning on handing the ball off,” head coach Sean Payton said Wednesday. Clearly not.
A Reflection of Denver’s Offensive Struggles
This sequence was indicative of the Broncos’ general offensive approach under Payton after the first quarter in London. Over four drives through the third quarter and the start of the fourth, Denver put together three three-and-outs and a safety. Nix, despite being the league’s No. 12 pick in 2024, was treated more like a replacement quarterback.
“When you see your defense playing as well as our defense was on Sunday, you can get, sometimes, maybe a little conservative, because you know that the other team’s probably not going to score a lot of points,” offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said Thursday.
“Maybe we got a little conservative. But the important thing is we won the game. So, wasn’t pretty. I don’t think we felt like we played real well. But, again, when your defense is just balling out like that, it’s easy to run-run, and trying to play field position, and had a couple bad breaks with the safety, and a couple other things.”
A Narrow Win, but Little Offensive Confidence
The Broncos did win, 13-11. However, the victory left little confidence in their ability to establish any kind of offensive rhythm and showed a lack of trust in Nix’s ability to dissect a defense without making mistakes.
This pattern reflects a season-long trend seen over six games: intermittent quarters of offensive flow sandwiched between stretches of offensive ineptitude. Sometimes the machine purrs; sometimes it grumbles.
Nix, who ranks in the bottom half of eligible NFL quarterbacks in completion percentage (64.6%) and yards per attempt (6.2), did not place blame on Payton or others when asked about handling frustration during the slow offensive stretch after a hot start.
“There for a while, it was just executing the plays that were called,” Nix said. “And, wasn’t necessarily getting a whole lot of action. But then, (it) just took one play.”
That crucial play was a 12-yard strike to Engram that keyed a fourth-quarter field-goal drive—a moment Nix called a “relief.” This was another example of falling in and out of rhythm.
Engram had four targets with 12:41 left in the second quarter. At that point, Nix was 12 of 14 for 100 yards and a touchdown.
“That’s what happens when you try to get him the ball, he makes big plays,” Nix said of Engram after the London win. “That’s why we acquired him. That’s why we felt confident he would bring that to our team.”
Offensive Ranks and the Path Forward
None of the Broncos’ offensive rankings are particularly heartening. The team stands 19th in yards per play, 15th in yards per game, and 21st in points per game.
However, public comments by Nix and others paint a picture of the rhythm that Payton’s offense could have: a consistent run game on early downs, a consistent emphasis on spreading the ball around to playmakers, and a consistent emphasis on tempo.
Looking Ahead: The Giants and the Importance of Tempo
The Giants have “four werewolves” up front, as Lombardi put it: rookie Abdul Carter, star edge rusher Brian Burns, outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux, and interior defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence.
Tempo could be a key factor to wear down these defenders, as the Giants have pressured the quarterback on nearly 46% of their defensive snaps when Carter, Burns, and Thibodeaux are on the field simultaneously, according to Next Gen Stats.
“Especially for this week,” receiver Troy Franklin told The Denver Post on Wednesday, “it’s probably something that we really want to do.”
Lombardi said the offensive staff didn’t want to “overthink” last Sunday’s game, given the defense’s ability to win it. But the Broncos can hardly afford to underthink against New York.
The challenge for Denver is clear: find offensive rhythm, trust Bo Nix to lead the attack, and use tempo to wear down a relentless Giants front. With the defense playing at a high level, the offensive unit needs to step up to secure consecutive wins moving forward.
https://www.denverpost.com/2025/10/16/joe-lombardi-bo-nix-conservative-broncos-offense/
