Entering Thursday night's matchup with the Seattle Seahawks, the Denver Broncos' rushing offense ranked 25th in the NFL, averaging just 86.2 yards per game. And people wonder why Bo Nix hasn't looked like himself.
Against the Seahawks, the Broncos rushed for just 74 yards, but they did score two touchdowns on the ground. That pair of touchdowns created a two-score lead that the Broncos' defense was able to protect for most of the game, forcing Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold to throw the ball 51 times.
Seattles's defense adjusted at halftime, and stopped the Broncos' run game in its tracks in the second half. It was one three-and-out after another, with the Broncos playing an excruciatingly impotent brand of offense.
The game went to overtime, but the Broncos got the win, prevailing 17-14 over the Seahawks. Despite Denver sitting at 4-2 after a brutal first six-week schedule, the narrative around the Broncos has centered on heavy criticism of Nix and the offense.
Echoing his head coach, Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins doesn't sound worried, pointing to how tough Seattle's defense is to explain why the offense could get nothing going in the second half.
"It's the Super Bowl champions," Dobbins said post-game. "They got a great defense. They adjusted... That's part of being in the NFL and part of playing these great teams with great defenses. They adjusted, and they did a good job."
Although Nix only passed for 106 yards, Seattle held the Broncos to just 94 net passing yards, due to a pair of sacks. It was pretty painful to watch at times, but Dobbins isn't wrong about the caliber of defense Seattle plays.
The Seahawks entered Week 6 ranked No. 2 in net yards and passing defense, No. 1 in yards per play and takeaways, and No. 3 on third down. The Broncos struggled to run and pass in the second half, and they obviously couldn't convert on third down much, but they protected the ball. Zero turnovers was a big reason Denver won that game.
Seattle's defense led them to a Super Bowl championship last season and is poised to defend its crown this season, if Darnold and company can get off the schneid. But Seattle was only the latest in a long line of top-tier defenses the Broncos have faced to start this season.
You can look at almost any of the key metrics; the Broncos have a bottom-five offense. Lest we forget, though, the Broncos have faced the second-toughest schedule thus far when it comes to opposing defenses, and the toughest in opposing offenses.
The Worst is Behind Them
With the worst of it behind the Broncos now, Dobbins sounds optimistic that the offense can finally take flight — if everybody does their part.
"Shoot, we just have to execute," Dobbins said. "You know, we've played some really good defenses. Every single team we've played has a really good defense."
That's not an excuse, by the way. Dobbins is simply pointing out the obvious. He understands that for the Broncos to turn the ship around offensively, the individual players have to bow up, take accountability, and excute.
"You've just got to go to the drawing board, and figure it out and execute," he said. "That is what it comes down to: execution."
Dobbins has carried the ball 81 times this season for 270 yards and two touchdowns. His 3.3 yards-per-carry average would be a career-low, if the rest of this season tracks the way it has started.
The soon-to-be 28-year-old has suffered a torn ACL, a torn Achilles, and a bad plantar fascia injury last season, leading some to wonder whether all the wear and tear has finally caught up to him. But given the level of competition the Broncos have faced so far this season, it's too early to say whether Dobbins has slowed down. The jury is out on that question.
Dobbins doesn't look quite as explosive, and nowhere near as decisive, as he did last year. Meanwhile, the Broncos' offensive line has struggled to consistently get push in the run game, which is all the more reason why he shouldn't be dancing around in the backfield; he needs to hit the hole with burst and get downhill.
The Takeaway
Time will tell whether Dobbins and the Broncos' ground game can finally get rolling this season. But becoming more reliable on the ground would offer Nix the best chance to dig out of his slump.
As head coach Sean Payton said last week, "The hardest thing to do in this league is play that position if you're not rushing the ball."
Because the Broncos played on Thursday night, they're now enjoying a "mini-bye" — three extra days of rest and preparation between the Seattle game and Week 7's trip to take on the Arizona Cardinals. That might not be enough time to fully recharge the run game, but not having to play an elite defense for the first time since last season could do wonders for Dobbins and company.
And the same goes for Nix.
If the Broncos don't start producing better on the ground and rise up the rankings to at least somewhere in the teens, it's hard to see them cutting deep into the playoffs, even with a lights-out defense and even if Nix suddenly returns to 2025 form.
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