Maybe Russell Wilson wasn’t the Broncos problem after all
Sep 9, 2024, 4:00 AM
It was all Russell Wilson’s fault. That’s why Sean Payton’s vaunted offense was anemic in 2023; the head coach didn’t have the quarterback he needed to move the football and put points on the board.
That’s why the Broncos decided to eat $85 million of dead cap, an NFL record, to let Wilson walk. It’s also why they spent the No. 12 overall pick on Bo Nix, their QB of the future.
Those moves were supposed to fix everything. Suddenly, things were going to magically get better.
That’s what the Broncos told us during the offseason. That’s what the evidence suggested during the preseason. That’s what the hope was heading into the season opener in Seattle.
Then, reality hit.
The Broncos offense still stinks. It’s still anemic. It’s still a dink-and-dunk, throw-it-short-of-the-sticks snoozefest.
In the opener, Denver scored just 16 points on offense. They racked up only 231 total yards, producing a measly 13 first downs.
With Nix at the helm, it wasn’t any better than it was with Wilson. If anything, it was probably worse.
In the first half, the Seahawks tried to hand the game to Denver. They gave the Broncos the football in great position with two turnovers and surrendered two safeties. But it didn’t matter.
After an early interception by Alex Singleton, the Broncos were able to only muster three yards on their ensuing drive. They settled for a 35-yard field goal.
Following a muffed punt by Seattle, Denver was stuffed for -2 yards on three plays. Will Lutz made a 30-yard field goal.
Two golden opportunities to take control of the game early and the Broncos failed to capitalize. Maybe their red-zone issues weren’t all Wilson’s fault.
On the day, Denver had nine three-and-outs. They couldn’t move the chains. They couldn’t sustain drives.
In part, that’s because they couldn’t run the ball. Bo Nix was the Broncos leading rusher, racking up 35 yards on five carries. Everyone else amassed just 64 yards on 20 attempts, just 3.2 yards per carry.
The same offensive line as last year. The same cast of running backs. And not coincidentally, it was the same results.
In 2023, the Broncos averaged just 4.0 yards per carry. That was 21st in the NFL. Their Week 1 performance puts them on pace to be the worst rushing team in the league. Maybe the lack of a ground attack wasn’t Wilson’s fault.
Through the air, they weren’t much better. In a lot of ways, it was even uglier.
Nix finished the day 26-of-42 for 138 yards, with two interceptions. He averaged just 3.3 yards per attempt and had a QB rating of 47.5.
The Broncos threw short pass after short pass. Only two receptions went for more than 10 yards. Maybe the lack of a downfield air attack wasn’t Wilson’s fault.
That was all supposed to change with the veteran QB out of the way. Payton’s offense, the one that turned Drew Brees into a Hall of Fame quarterback in New Orleans, was going to blossom with a competent signal caller.
Nix was going to make the right reads. He was going to throw the ball on time and accurately. He wasn’t going to try to play “hero ball.” Instead, he was going to be a processor.
So much for that notion.
Granted, it’s only one game. Rookie quarterbacks inevitably struggle. There’s a decent chance that Nix will be better in Week 2 and beyond.
But that’s nothing more than blind hope at this point. The evidence suggests that the naysayers were right.
People said that Nix was a game manager at Oregon; they claimed he couldn’t throw the ball down the field. The loss in Seattle seems to support those notions.
The critics claimed that Payton’s offense was dated; they suggested that his best days were behind him. Seeing an opener in season two that looked an awful lot like his first year in Denver, with Wilson or Jarrett Stidham behind center, makes it hard not to think that the head coach could be the problem.
Of course, it could be the surrounding cast. That’ll be the excuse that comes for Nix. Heck, Payton threw his receivers under the bus during his halftime interview with CBS.
But no one wanted to hear that reason when Wilson wasn’t the quarterback. They didn’t care that the Broncos had pedestrian wide receivers, a mediocre cast of running backs and arguably the worst tight end room in the NFL.
That made it hard for Wilson to shine. And it certainly made it difficult for Nix on Sunday.
The Broncos can’t run the ball. Their receivers don’t create separation. Their tight ends don’t stretch the field. And Payton doesn’t scheme up plays that have receivers running free.
That was the case last year. And it was the case in Week 1.
Those problems don’t go away simply because a team changes quarterbacks. Those issues don’t disappear because a “processor” in behind center.
The Broncos offense isn’t any good because of two things – personnel and scheme. It’s the offensive line, wideouts, tight ends and running backs. It’s the head coach / play caller.
It ain’t the quarterback, folks. It wasn’t Wilson and it isn’t Nix. That’s what Sunday showed us.
