Sean Payton’s offense was a non-factor in big game for Broncos
Oct 14, 2024, 5:30 AM
Don’t let the final score fool you. The Broncos lost 23-16 to the Chargers on Sunday, but the game was never that close. Denver was dominated from the jump, trailing 20-0 at half and 23-0 after three quarters.
Don’t let the stats skew the reality, either. The Broncos made the numbers look close with a bunch of garbage yards in the fourth quarter on Sunday, but Los Angeles was the better team throughout the day.
Instead, remember what really transpired. It was jarring.
The Broncos entered the game with a 3-2 record. Facing a division foe, they had a chance to establish themselves as a contender in the AFC West with a win. With games against the Derek Carr-less Saints and woeful Panthers on the horizon, a 6-2 start to the season wasn’t beyond the realm of comprehension.
Denver had won three-straight games. They were in the mix in the AFC. And they had a chance to put themselves in a position to be the trendy team in the NFL through the first half of the season.
That’s what was on the line. That’s what was at stake. That’s what was on the table at Empower Field on Sunday.
And the Broncos laid an egg.
More specifically, their offense fell flat. And that’s being kind.
On the day, the Broncos finished with 17 first downs and 316 yards of total offense. But the numbers don’t tell the story.
Anyone watching the game knows that Denver was dominated. They were bad for most of the game.
Heading into the fourth quarter, the Broncos had five first downs and 88 yards of total offense. They trailed 23-0. And they looked pathetic.
That begs one question: Why?
Well, there’s only one person to blame. This is all on Sean Payton.
The Broncos head coach is supposedly an offensive guru. He jettisoned Russell Wilson in the offseason, absorbing an NFL record $85 million in dead cap in the process, so he could run his offense with his handpicked quarterback. That led to Bo Nix being selected No. 12 overall in the NFL Draft, with Payton bragging about how he knew more about quarterbacks that everyone else, including the five teams who passed on Nix to select other QBs.
Through the first five games of the season, all of the excuses have been in place for the selection. Nix is a rookie. He’s experiencing things for the first time. He was enduring the weather conditions in New Jersey. He was managing the offense in an easy win against the Raiders.
Blah. Blah. Blah. Excuses. Excuses. Excuses.
With five games in the rearview mirror, Payton and Nix faced their first prove-it moment on Sunday. They had a chance to show that the early season struggles were behind them, to illustrate that they’re the right combo for the future and that great things lie ahead in Denver.
Nix finished the day with a decent stat line. The quarterback was 19-of-33 for 216 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception. But that doesn’t tell the story.
With the game still in doubt, the rookie was awful. At one point, Nix was 4-of-14 for 27 yards, with no TDs and a pick.
That’s how Payton’s guy performed when the game was in doubt. That’s how he answered the bell in what was arguably the biggest game in Denver since January of 2016.
That’s not good enough. It’s not even close. And it’s time to call it out.
There’s no more free pass because Nix is a rookie. There’s no more dismissal of blame because Payton is still revamping the roster he inherited.
The Broncos had five games under their belt. They had put themselves into position to make the season interesting. And they flopped. To put it mildly.
Sunday’s game was one of the worst offensive performances in franchise history. It doesn’t matter what the stat sheet says; anyone who witnessed the debacle knows it’s true.
The Broncos were awful on Sunday. Their offense was embarrassing.
That’s on Payton. He was hired – inking a reported five-years, $90-million dollar contract in the process – because he was an offensive wizard. He’s been anything but one.
Last year’s disappointing results can no longer be excused. Payton blamed them on Russell Wilson. He bet on Nix to prove his point. It’s obvious that the coach was wrong.
The Broncos offense was awful on Sunday. Their rookie quarterback was equally as bad. With everything on the line, including a prime position to make a playoff run, Denver was pathetic.
Payton’s offense looked archaic. Nix looked overwhelmed. The whole thing was a mess.
And it’s time to stop excusing it. Payton can’t blame Russ anymore. He can’t hide behind a rookie quarterback. And he can’t claim the rebuild will take time.
Sean Payton wanted to run his offense. He wanted to do so with his quarterback. The head coach has gotten his wish.
And in the biggest game the Broncos have played in nearly a decade, the head coach’s system fell flat. They face-planted into a giant cow pie.
That leads to one logical question: Is this going anywhere?
Payton clearly doesn’t have the fastball he once possessed. He struggles with game-day decisions and stumbles in press conferences. In addition, his roster-building moves, highlighted by selection Nix at No. 12 overall, appear to be a total flop.
A great head coach gives his team a chance in a tipping-point game. A guy worth $18 million per year makes things interesting with divisional prominence on the line.
Payton didn’t do either. Instead, his team got boat-raced, in embarrassing fashion.
Sunday was a mess. The Broncos were a joke. And their lackluster performance falls on their head coach.
Sean Payton has everything he wanted. He’s chucked every scapegoat under the bus. This year’s Broncos are on him.
On Sunday, the head coach’s team didn’t look good. In fact, they looked as bad as they ever have before.
