Super Bo looks as if he’s in slo-mo mode. Scared to throw it over the middle. Scared to mess up. Scared to turn it over. Bo Nix is clearly inside his own head, and that’s a nasty place to find yourself on Sunday afternoons.
“It’s hard to get into a flow when you’re 2-yard run, 2-yard run, drop back,” right tackle Mike McGlinchey told reporters on Sunday night after his Broncos (2-2) lost a heart-breaking and ankle-twisting 24-14 setback at unbeaten San Francisco (4-0) at Levi’s Stadium.
Offensive coordinator Davis Webb is running out of second chances to make a first impression with apountry. The calls are coming from inside the house that it’s time for head coach Sean Payton to end his sabbatical as a game-manager and grab the play-calling sheet again.
Only here’s the thing: Webb’s not the only problem. The plays are Payton’s. The system is Payton’s. The scheme is Payton’s. The play-calling sequencing has, so far, largely resembled Payton’s, too.
Meanwhile, Nix still isn’t seeing receivers who are clearly getting open, especially over the middle. And when he does see them, his accuracy beyond 10 yards downfield has been than Peyton Manning. No. 10’s timing hasn’t looked this off for this long since his opening five or six games as a rookie two years ago.
But that was two years ago. The ’26 Broncos, who’ve had a Super Bowl in the brain for at least 20 months now, don’t have that kind of time to play with their food anymore.
Denver is averaging 3.3 first-half points per game, the fewest in the NFL. The Broncos finished with 11.2 per game last year, which wound up in the middle of the league (17th). And you know what? They can get there again. Here’s how.
1. Have Nix play faster
In Santa Clara, Nix completed just one of nine throws he attempted for 10 or more air yards. He didn’t throw a ball for 20 or more air yards until there were fewer than 2 minutes left on the clock, according to NextGenStats. He averaged just 5.1 yards per pass attempt — a full 2 yards below the league’s average (7.1) as of Monday afternoon.
The remedy? Speed Bo up before defenses can rush him.
Per Nix’s statistical splits on Pro-Football-Reference.com, the third-year QB has attempted only seven passes from a no-huddle look through four games, while completing five (71.4%) with three first downs — that’s a first down every 2.3 throws. In a “huddled” situation, per the site, he’s completed just 59.4% of his throws with a first down every 3.6 pass attempts.
Last season, also via Pro Football Reference, The “Go-Go” approach may not be working in Boulder, but it might suit Nix just fine.
2. Replace J.K. Dobbins with RJ Harvey on first down
It would be an oversimplification to say J.K. Dobbins lacks burst and RJ Harvey lacks vision. It also wouldn’t be far from the truth. The elephant in the room is that Dobbins on first down, with or without lovable swing tackle Alex Palczewski in as the extra blocker, is the handoff everyone’s looking for.
Only last season, most teams couldn’t stop it. No. 27 on first down averaged 6.0 per carry and 3.8 yards per catch in 2025, setting the tone for each sequence.
After four games this season, Dobbins’ first-down average is down to 3.8 yards per carry, with zero first-down receptions.
Payton’s offense averaged 5.1 yards per first-down rush last fall. This season, it’s 3.86 per first-down rush through four games.
We know what Harvey can do outside the tackles. But the second-year runner has also shown a gear in the box this season that Dobbins just … hasn’t. The former UCF star is averaging 4.1 yards per carry on first down this season and 9.7 yards per reception. Rookie Jonah Coleman might solve this particular issue all by himself. But not until the ex-Washington Huskie returns from an ankle sprain that put him on injured reserve.
“There are always two or three things (with run-blocking),” Payton said. “There are some clean looks we do a good job with. Then there are some looks where defensively, we’re getting a run stunt. I think that overall just the consistency and our approach, whether itap in the shotgun or under center, that will continue to be a focal point for us. Itap always in these details. I think certainly you saw that (Sunday).”
For months, we worried if Dobbins’ legs would make it to November. Now we’re wondering if his body even knows it’s October yet.
3. Stop talking about the middle of the field and throw it there
Harvey caught 10 balls on Sunday. Jaylen Waddle caught five. Sutton caught one. NFL film is everywhere now, and social media,
Over the last two games, a narrow home win and a closer-than-the-score road loss, both to good teams, the Broncos’ target leaders are the following:
Harvey, 17; Waddle, 13; Sutton, 13; tight end Evan Engram, 7; Pat Bryant Jr. 5. During that NFC West split, Nix targeted his top three wideouts 31 times and his top three running backs 25 times.
“(The Niners) did a pretty good job of staying on top of some of the deeper throws,” Payton explained Monday, “and (that’s) part of what they’re trying to do defensively. So I think coming away from that game tape, I think the feeling overall was just more yardage underneath (was available) in different ways that I think we feel like we could have taken a little bit more advantage of.”
You’ve got yards over the middle, too. Take them.
4. Catch the darned ball
Over the first three quarters of a one-score game, as the Broncos huffed and puffed and punted and trailed 10-3, Webb’s offense ran 16 first-down plays. Eight were runs. Eight were throws. Balance, right?
Neither worked.
he eight runs went for 19 yards, good for 2.38 yards per pop. Nix completed just four of those eight pass attempts for 22 yards, good for an anemic 2.75 yards per dropback. Waddle’s hands aren’t giving us Jerry Jeudy Vibes just yet. But, Lord help us, we’re inching closer by the day.
