Sean Payton's return to calling the plays didn't result in an offensive revival, but the Denver Broncos did beat the Los Angeles Chargers on the road, 23-17. It was Payton's first-ever win at SoFi Stadium as Broncos head coach.
“It was good enough to win, but there are still a number of things that we need to improve on," Payton said of his offense post-game.
It was barely good enough to win. Denver finished with 224 total yards but converted just 1-of-12 third-down attempts while going 2-of-5 in the red zone. Payton's return wasn't the quick fix to the biggest issue holding back the Broncos' offense: Bo Nix's Year-3 slump.
Despite having Payton in his ear and calling the plays, Nix still looked skittish and unsure in the pocket. With the exception of one 36-yard strike to tight end Evan Engram in the first quarter, Nix didn't push the ball downfield.
Nix seems like he doesn't trust his eyes. Everyone's got a theory on why the young quarterback suddenly looks so uncomfortable and unpoised, but it seems to be a between-the-ears issue.
Payton's Message to Nix
Payton and his staff are trying to get to the bottom of it, but the veteran head coach had one parting message for Nix at the post-game podium: "Let it rip."
"I think, man, we as coaches, like I've said to him, I said, 'Man, you're the guy we wanted here. Let's go. You've done a ton of things well,'" Payton said of Nix. "But I think there's a lot that goes into that. It's important that, you know, in that old TV series The Bear, where they just said, 'Let her rip,' I want him to make sure that, hey, let her rip."
Payton isn't telling Nix to go be a fast-and-loose gunslinger. In fact, Nix believes his coach meant that he should trust his eyes.
“I think when a coach says ‘let it rip,’ it means trust what you see," Nix said post-game. "Right now, there’s just a little subtle piece of overall offensive execution that we’re still working towards, because at times, it’s there and we’re really good. At times, for whatever reason, the drive stalls."
Nix believes that a quarterback has to earn the right to "let it rip." It would seem that, by Payton calling on Bo to fire away, the Broncos' head coach believes he has earned the right — and, by extension, can be trusted to make the right decisions.
"I think there’s a lot of pieces that go into it, but... letting it rip is one of the best things that you can do as a quarterback," Nix said. "At the same time, you’ve got to sort of earn that right. When you do the preparation, you earn the right to react so that you can let it rip.”
Perhaps in his hesitancy as a passer, Nix is questioning himself and whether he's earned the right to "let it rip." Based on what we saw at SoFi Stadium, he's yet to fully embrace the let-it-rip mindset.
Nix's Day at SoFi Stadium
He went 16-of-27 for 123 yards and a touchdown. While Nix didn't throw an interception, he did fumble twice, losing one of them. That lost fumble came with the game tied and sparked an enormous momentum swing in the Chargers' direction.
The sudden change allowed L.A. to score immediately on the ensuing play with a Kimani Vidal 42-yard touchdown romp. The Chargers took a 17-10 lead at the bottom of the third quarter.
Thanks to some excellent clutch-time play by the Broncos' defense, Nix was given some additional opportunities in the fourth quarter, and while there were still some painful moments, the Broncos capitalized by punctuating their rather ugly offensive performance with 13 additional points.
Still, Broncos fans have gone from various stages of concern to — in some cases — outright panic over Nix's slump. That was clear enough from the comments on my X posts and the Mile High Huddle Podcast's live chat after the game.
Although there's the distinct possibility that we could simply be seeing the ups and downs of a young quarterback still finding his way, it's hard to argue against the assertion that Nix has regressed. Myself, I wonder if Nix is truly over his broken ankle; the bone may be healed, but has his psyche caught up?
Payton is Working On the Fixes
It sounds like Payton and his staff are trying to focus on the little things to get Nix rollling again in the bigger picture, starting with his feet.
"I would say this. I think the one area, obviously there's a lot been said about his feet. I think he's settling that down," Payton said of Nix. "I think it's important from a protection standpoint that early in games we provide that clean pocket so that clock doesn't get juiced up a little bit. I don't know what his dropback percentage was, but I think it was a little less tonight."
With Payton at the helm, the Broncos were more balanced offensively from a run-pass perspective, though it didn't lead to any big plays or obvious successes. Denver finished with 29 runs to 28 passes.
Nix's 27 attempts were a season-low, a reflection of Payton's drive to build a run game around his young quarterback, even if the returns on the ground weren't big. Fortunately, as is his way, Nix saved his best for when the chips were down, as the Broncos scored 13 fourth-quarter points on the back of three huge defensive stops.
When I say "his best," though, it's in relative terms. This was far from Nix's Week 3 fourth-quarter display.
"I think when we needed it down the stretch, there were some plays to be had. We got blitzed on [Courtland] Sutton's touchdown," Payton said. "We were hoping to get a certain coverage, but it was good because he's got a free rusher there."
Signs of Progress?
We know one of the reasons Payton took back the play-calling was that he wasn't seeing a "championship" offense. Rome wasn't built in a day, but if Nix and the Broncos' offense took any steps forward in Week 5, they were extremely small.
You can point to Denver finally moving the chains for the first time this season on the opening drive as progress. The Broncos actually picked up two first downs on their opening possession, though it still ended with a punt.
The Broncos also led for most of the game, which has been another inconvenient and nagging storyline around this team through the first quarter of the season. That's progress, to be sure, but keeping it in context, it was by no means impressive.
Getting the run game over 100 yards on the day and staying balanced from a run-pass perspective was another step in the right direction, and the offense got points (13 to be exact) on each of the Broncos' takeaways. But I'm stretching to find the silver linings here, if you can't tell.
The Takeaway
The Broncos took some small steps forward as a rushing offense in L.A., but they have a long way to go in terms of efficiency. Payton has been coaching in this league long enough to know that without a viable run game, a quarterback is often dead in the water.
That's especially true with a slumping Year-3 quarterback.
"I think after four weeks, there's a handful of things that collectively, and it starts with me, where it's like, all right, let's focus on these details," Payton said. "I think the byproduct helps the quarterback. Obviously, the hardest thing to do in this league is play that position if you're not rushing the ball."
The Broncos have a lot to work on with very little time to do it. The Seattle Seahawks are coming to Mile High for a Thursday night showdown, so once again, there's no rest for the weary.
After the Seahawks game, though, the Broncos will get three extra days — known colloquially as a 'mini-bye' — to prepare for their next opponent. That will be the Broncos' first and only chance to catch a breath before their actual Week 10 bye.
In the meantime, any improvement Nix shows will have to be done on the hoof.
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