What is the confidence level in the Broncos ahead of the Seahawks matchup?

The Denver Broncos host the reigning Super Bowl champions on Thursday Night Football, and the morning show says the defense and special teams will have to carry the Broncos because the offense hasn’t earned much trust.

The Broncos finish their six-game opening gauntlet tonight against the toughest opponent on that stretch of the schedule. The Seattle Seahawks are the reigning Super Bowl champions. Their 3-2 record matches Denver’s, but they’ve played like a team that could get back to the Super Bowl. Denver is still trying to figure out its offense after an uneven start, a series of mistakes from Bo Nix and a change in play callers four weeks into the season.

On a recent edition of “Stokley and Evans, with Mark Schlereth” on 104.3 The Fan, Mike Evans asked for a number.

“Where would you put your confidence level in the Broncos tonight 1-10?” Evans asked.

Brandon Stokley picked the middle.

“I’m right in the middle. I’m not that confident with what I’ve seen, especially offensively,” Stokley said.

That’s a fair grade. The Broncos have won three games, but none of them made anyone feel good about the offense. They needed 14 fourth-quarter points to beat Jacksonville and a second-half rally to beat the Rams after trailing 16-0 at halftime. On Sunday, they beat a winless Chargers team by six. Sean Payton called plays again for the first time against Los Angeles, and the offense still looked like it was guessing. Earlier this week, Stokley said he couldn’t name one thing the unit does well.

That’s why he thinks the path to a win runs through the other two phases.

“It’s gonna take this defense to play great. It’s gonna take a special teams unit to do something special,” Stokley said.

Both units have earned that faith. The defense has kept Denver close in every game, including the ones where the offense struggled for three quarters. Special teams has a game-breaking returner in Marvin Mims and a reliable kicker in Wil Lutz, who has made big kicks in close games before. Against a team as complete as Seattle, the Broncos will probably need a takeaway, a return or a short field to get points the offense hasn’t been able to produce.

Stokley also pointed out that the schedule doesn’t help.

“I just don’t see this offense all of a sudden, on a short week, being able to put together and look competent after what we’ve been seeing from them,” Stokley said.

A Thursday game after a Sunday game gives coaches very little practice time. Payton is only one game back into calling plays, and that’s not much time to install new answers for problems like blitz pickup, early-down efficiency and Nix’s habit of bailing out of the pocket to his right. Whatever the offense is going to be tonight is probably what it was against the Chargers.

Stokley ended on a more hopeful note.

“So those other sides of the football, when it comes to defense and special teams, are gonna really have to step up. And hopefully, the offense can, you know, make a big play down the field,” Stokley said.

That may be the most realistic way for Denver to win. The Broncos don’t need a perfect game from Nix. They need the defense to keep Seattle in check, special teams to tilt the field and the offense to hit one or two of the downfield throws that have been missing all season.

A win would send Denver out of the six-game stretch at 4-2, the best-case target Mike Evans set before the season. A loss would leave the Broncos at 3-3, which is still survivable but with plenty of questions. Stokley’s 5 out of 10 reflects how this season has gone so far: the defense gives Denver a chance every week, and the offense hasn’t given anyone a reason to feel confident.

Related

How can the Broncos contain Jaxon-Smith Njigba?Riley Moss has a shot to play against Seattle, but two key Broncos starters are outFormer Broncos captain Kareem Jackson retires in orange and blueBo Nix ‘has to play better’ according to Joel KlattBroncos safety Hufanga out 2-3 weeks: reportDr. Ramos and Zach Bye discuss Quinn Meinerz’s chest pain