Hey, Parker. I’m keeping it short and sweet: Is Bo Nix our long-term QB? Do you see any scenario where we decide he’s good, but not good enough, has already reached his ceiling, and look elsewhere? This seems unlikely, but with a very talented conference and league, how much patience will Payton and the front office have? The drop in his early season stats compared to the last two years is concerning, but how concerning?

— Mark Petruska, Fort Atkinson, Wis.

Hey Mark, thanks for writing in from the Dairyland and getting us going this week. Much appreciated.

If quarterback Bo Nix’s propensity to start slow in games is “the $6 million question,” as head coach Sean Payton said after the Broncos beat the Rams in Week 3, then ultimately the quarterback’s overall performance and long-term future is more like the $60 million a year question.

This may not be the most satisfying answer, but the truth of it is that all of the major decisions are still far enough out that they don’t have to be made or even deeply contemplated yet and the first round of decisions really don’t have to be made until well after the season.

In the best case for Denver, Nix erases all doubt over the rest of this season and the sides start talking about a mega-extension when he becomes eligible next spring. In the worst case, he regresses badly and the Broncos hit the offseason already wondering what they should do next at the position. The middle ground is hardly ideal — though it����ap not as bad as missing altogether — and probably looks something like C.J. Stroud/Houston territory. Talk about a deal after Year 3, exercise the fifth-year option in the process (currently projected to be ), then be willing but not thrilled about proceeding into Year 4 without a long-term solution if there’s not some middle-ground number to be agreed on. If the season ended today, you might be looking at something like this general area with the Broncos and Nix. But as we all know, the season isn’t over yet.

A couple of things are undeniable at this point in Nix’s favor: There is seemingly unanimity around the franchise that he is the right type of person and the right type of leader. That counts for something. Clearly he’s shown the ability to create magic in games and, really, to play at a high level. He just hasn’t done the last part consistently. I’m sure everyone around the Broncos was hoping he’d leave no doubt right out of the gate this season. There’d be a big jump in performance, he’d elevate into — or at least toward — the upper echelon of quarterbacks in the NFL and boom, easy call.

So far that hasn’t happened. It����ap also four games against really good teams. But it����ap also now 38 regular-season and two playoff games for his career.

Watch Nix play that divisional game against Buffalo and it looks like an easy call. Watch him play Sunday against San Francisco and it����ap anything but. The key is evaluating the whole picture — and not just him, but everything else, too. The whole picture for Nix’s first three seasons is still a long way from being fully painted. Then, down the road, there’s also the question that always plays a role, particularly with quarterbacks: What are the other options and do you really have better ones?

For now, what����ap clear is that Nix’s overall play through four games so far hasn’t marked the big step forward he and the Broncos were hoping for in Year 3. He could go on a heater — he’s done it before — and change the tenor of that conversation quickly. In the meantime, pressure is only going to increase, first because the Broncos have a talented roster and Super Bowl expectations and also because of the possible impact on future contract talks.

Last thought: Nix isn’t the only 2024 quarterback going through a rough patch. Drake Maye was an MVP candidate last year but got off to a horrible start this season before a big win Sunday against Buffalo. Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels are both hurt. J.J. McCarthy’s already been traded. The guy with the best recent stretch is Atlanta’s Michael Penix Jr., and he missed so much time early in his career with last year’s knee injury that the evaluation on him (outside the questions raised by a long injury history) is just starting.

What is the deal with Bo Nix? We heard this offseason how he was playing on a higher level IQ-wise, but it feels like outside of the second halves vs. the Jags and Rams, this is the worst he has played as an NFL QB.

— Mike C., Santa Clarita, Calif.

I’ve always believed in Bo Nix, even dating back to his days at Oregon and Auburn. But as the games go by and the Broncos keep finding themselves in similar positions, I can’t help but wonder if Bo Nix is just Tim Tebow with some better passing mechanics. Denver’s offense does nothing for three-plus quarters and then out of nowhere, Nix starts to play like a Pro Bowler and brings the team back from the darkness. Tebow was fun because lightning in a bottle could strike at any time, but in order for Denver to take the next step, they had to move on. Not saying it should happen, but at what point does Denver need to do the same with Bo?

— Nate, Clarksville, Tenn.

Oh, more Bo Nix questions? I thought we covered it all above. Of course, it����ap not surprising that Nix was the center of so many readers’ questions this week, and thanks to Mike C. and Nate for writing in.

There’s not one thing or even a couple that have kept Nix and the rest of the Broncos offense from getting on track consistently early this year. But here’s a starting point: One of Payton’s most-used lines is that a quarterback’s two best friends are a good run game and a good defense. The Broncos have like 0.75 out of two so far. They’ve mostly got good defense — Kansas City notwithstanding — and they’ve had almost no consistent run game.

That, to continue the Payton-isms, leaves the quarterback on the high dive more often than you want him up there. It leads to more long-yardage situations and makes defenses more willing to sit back and play coverage. We’re seeing both so far this fall.

There are other issues, too. Nix’s completion percentage is down. He’s not throwing the ball down the field as much — and didn’t much at all against San Francisco — and he’s not taking off and running as much, either.

The coming weeks, starting Sunday against the Chargers, will provide more context on whether this is a rough patch for Nix in the opening month under a new play-caller in Davis Webb or if something is more systemically wrong.

Last year, Denver faced only a few teams that played above .500 because of its 2024 standing. I know it’s early in the season, but with a tougher schedule this year, aren’t we able to better evaluate the team? Can we say that the management was blinded by the surprising 14-3 record (including the comeback wins and the winning percentage in tight games) and overrated its offensive assets?

— Sylvain, Montréal, Québec

Hey Sylvain, thanks for writing in and good questions. I don’t think the Broncos were blinded by their gaudy record, though they overwhelmingly opted for retention this offseason. They made the big push for Jaylen Waddle and otherwise brought back their same guys. They also talked about needing to be better this year than last because of the number of one-score games they won, and simply because they came up short in January.

As far as better evaluating this season, it����ap certainly a tougher schedule. By through four weeks, the four best teams in football are San Francisco, Jacksonville, the Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City. Look familiar? It might, because those are the Broncos’ first four opponents this year. No. 5 is Seattle, which comes to Denver next week. So, what can we learn about going 2-2 against four of the best teams in football? Probably nothing too terribly bad, especially since Denver has done it without much offensive consistency. The Broncos, by the way, are No. 11 in this week’s FPI.

Can you please help me understand how our O-line gets the publicity of being “good,” but Bo Nix has no pocket to throw from, and the RBs seldom have a hole to run through?

— William Christensen, Orem, Utah

Hey William, thanks for writing in as always. Watch the San Francisco game again and see what you think about “no pocket to throw from.” Looked to me like Nix had a lot of time in the pocket fairly consistently. He’s been pressured more this year than in past years, but his 32.2% pressure rate is No. 24 in the NFL, according to Next Gen Stats. Only Brock Purdy (zero) and Sam Darnold (four in three games) have been sacked fewer times than Nix’s five.

In terms of the line’s performance in the run game, Denver’s 1.53 yards rushing before contact per attempt is No. 10 in the league and the backs are averaging 0.5 yards less than expected per carry, which is tied for No. 29.

, ranking Denver No. 23 overall in pass blocking and No. 20 in run blocking. They’ve been top 10 in both categories in past years.

To me, this adds up to two things being true at the same time: The Broncos’ offensive line has been solid overall and, to my eye, isn’t the biggest issue in the running game. And, at the same time, solid is not what you sign up for when you have the same group together for three straight years (four years for all but center Luke Wattenberg) and they’re all well-paid veterans.

How are the two TEs from Utah doing developmental wise? Will they see the field by the end of the season? We need TE help.

— Tom Rollings, Crestone

Hey Tom, thanks for writing in and good question. Seventh-round rookie Dallen Bentley hasn’t been active for games so far this season, but Denver likes his blocking ability. He’s headed for at least a partial redshirt year, though you never know what happens later in the season if he makes strides or if injuries strike the group.

Caleb Lohner’s an interesting one to keep an eye on. He (and Frank Crum for that matter) are eligible to return from injured reserve as early as this week. It might still be a bit for Lohner, as general manager George Paton said before the regular season started that late October was a rough target for his return.

Lohner’s a big athlete, former basketball player and, to hear Payton talk during the spring, a promisingly physical player in the run game. It seems a little ambitious to bet that a guy who has never appeared in an NFL game and barely played college football will come back from injury and immediately make a big impact. At the same time, Denver could use the help and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Lohner get a shot in some capacity this season. The team’s tight end position isn’t producing much statistically so far this season, but they’ve got fairly defined roles for Evan Engram, Adam Trautman and Nate Adkins. We’ll see in a few weeks if Lohner can make enough progress to try to shake that up.

Parker, the Broncos were linked to Brian Robinson Jr. and Kenneth Walker III at one time this past spring, why were they willing to guarantee $10 million a year to someone they knew and had experienced all the brokenness of him, J.K. Dobbins? Instead of biting the bullet and paying up to $15 million per season and having one of the top two running backs for a full season, they’re getting at most likely a half season, which then prorates out to $20 million per year.

There had to be better backs out there and they knew if they got one, most likely their first-half worries every game would mostly disappear. Their loyalty to players at times blinds them. I know that the comparable stats between Walker and Dobbins seemed to favor Dobbins, but stats like these need to be taken with a grain of salt.

Availability trumps stats when looking at Dobbins.

— Gary, Arvada

Hey Gary, thanks for writing in. The implication that they paid Dobbins similar money to what they might have needed to get a Kenneth Walker or Travis Etienne (the top of the free-agent RB class) isn’t really there, no matter how you slice it. Brian Robinson Jr. signed for one year and $2.5 million

The Broncos gave Dobbins $8 million guaranteed on a two-year deal. They can get out of it easily after this season if they want to. Walker and Etienne each got essentially $28 million guaranteed.

Should Denver have been willing to go up to that kind of mark? It����ap kind of moot, honestly. They weren’t interested in Walker at those kind of numbers and Etienne basically said that all things being equal, he would have chosen to go home to New Orleans, which he did. Maybe Walker carries on as an elite back for years to come and the Broncos — and others — will kick themselves for not getting more involved.

Certainly, to your other point, availability is a big part of the equation. That����ap why Denver guaranteed only one year of Dobbins’ deal and tied a good chunk of its potential value — $4 million in total incentives plus $1 million in per-game roster bonuses for 2027– to availability and production.

One thing is clear so far this fall: The Broncos need more from Dobbins. If they don’t in the next couple of weeks, the door is wide open for Jonah Coleman when he returns from an ankle injury.

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 it����ap in the shotgun or under center, that will continue to be a focal point for us. It����ap 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.

Several of those concerns were at the forefront of the Broncos’ 24-14 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium. The Denver defense played well enough to beat a Super Bowl contender, but the Broncos’ offense and quarterback Bo Nix never found any rhythm.

Here’s The Denver Post’s stock report on the loss.

Stock up

RJ Harvey

It might be odd to see a running back who averaged 3.6 yards per carry in the section, but Harvey’s tantalizing potential as a receiver was exhibited Sunday in Santa Clara. Harvey led the team in receptions and receiving yards with 10 catches for 68 yards. Jaylen Waddle caught the second-most passes with five.

Nix frequently looked Harvey’s way in the short area of the field. Harvey caught every pass and made several nice moves after the catch to avoid would-be tacklers. The Central Florida product is still struggling to produce down-to-down success as a runner, but Denver clearly trusts him in the passing game and wants to get him involved as a receiver. His 26.3% target share in Week 4 was the second-highest mark a running back has logged this season, behind only Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson, according to Next Gen Stats.

There are many issues with the Broncos’ offense, but Harvey’s not one of them.

Jahdae Barron

There have been calls for Barron to receive more playing time throughout his brief NFL career. After Sunday, he’ll likely be elevated into a bigger role out of necessity. Barron replaced injured cornerbacks Pat Surtain II and Riley Moss in the second half after both departed with injuries.

Barron played solid. He made a few nice tackles, had a pass breakup and was relatively unnoticeable — generally a good sign for a cornerback.

This is why Denver drafted him in the first round in 2024. Barron’s been a depth piece for the Broncos’ defense all year. Now it’s time to see what he can do in a starting role.

“I thought they did a good job stepping into the role, getting thrown into the fire,” linebacker Justin Strnad said.

Run defense

Kyle Shanahan, Christian McCaffrey, Trent Williams. That trio powers one of the NFL’s better running games. But Denver’s defensive front, a unit that had struggled to stop the run before Sunday, held the 49ers’ ground game completely in check.

McCaffrey averaged 3.5 yards per carry and mustered just 52 yards on the ground. A Deebo Samuel 22-yard end-around was San Francisco’s most explosive run of the day, aided by a few missed tackles. On a down-to-down basis, though, the Broncos’ defensive line pushed back the 49ers’ front. It was a winning effort by defensive coordinator Vance Joseph’s unit, one that went wasted by a dismal offensive showing.

“For the most part we played really good against them. They’re on a hot streak these last couple weeks, and being able to play defense the way we did, it wasn’t easy,” Nik Bonitto said.

Stock down

Bo Nix

In 42 pass attempts, Nix had an average depth of target of 4.9 yards — more than three yards worse than the NFL average. He completed just 2-of-10 passes beyond 10 yards downfield and rarely came close to successfully pushing the ball downfield.

He constantly checked the ball down to Harvey out of the backfield. Nix pointed to teams playing two-high, shell coverage against the Broncos, but NFL offenses need to hit explosive plays to be successful. Without them, the margin for error is so thin on a drive-to-drive basis.

Is a lack of running game hurting Nix? Does he still make some strong throws each week? Can Denver find a way to get him out of the pocket more? Sure, but if Nix is aiming to become a potential $60 million quarterback, Denver needs fewer questions and more definitive answers from him.

Rushing offense and J.K. Dobbins

Dobbins “” before the year that he would play in all 17 games and lead the NFL in rushing. Four weeks in, he’s 4-for-4 on the first goal and 376 yards behind on the second. That’s how many rushing yards separates Dobbins and the NFL’s leading rusher, Kenneth Walker III

The Broncos starting running back only played 21 snaps Sunday, nine fewer than Harvey. He’s played 22, 21, 33 and 21 snaps this year. Last season, Dobbins averaged 34 snaps per game.

By volume, the Broncos’ lead back appears to be regressing. Dobbins may still be feeling the effects of a lingering leg injury he suffered against the Jaguars, but he was a full participant in practice during the week and did not carry an injury designation entering Sunday. Dobbins did not speak to the media after Sunday’s loss. Payton did, but he offered little insight as to why the Broncos’ rushing attack remains one of the worst in football.

“That’s another challenge,” Payton said on the team’s struggles to run the ball. “I think at the half we were still at 30-some yards. That’s something that obviously has to get better.”

Davis Webb

Payton loves to discuss improving over the first quarter of the season. Four weeks in, the Broncos are now at the first-quarter threshold and the questions about offensive coordinator Davis Webb have not quieted since Week 1. Denver’s offense started slowly last year, too, but the Broncos have regressed in nearly every statistical category through four weeks.

As Nix pointed out, the Broncos have played four likely playoff teams. But this group entered the year with Super Bowl aspirations. They were always going to face strong defenses with the daunting schedule they were given. Payton bet that Webb’s ceiling as a play-caller was too high to pass up. Four games in, there have been limited glimpses of what that ceiling could look like.

Health

The Broncos not only lost Sunday’s game, but they also lost three key contributors. Wideout Pat Bryant, cornerback Pat Surtain II and cornerback Riley Moss all exited the game with injuries and did not return.

Several sources told The Post that Surtain avoided a serious injury, but he’s set to undergo more testing Monday. Bryant was carted off the field and Moss did not emerge from the locker room after halftime with a rib injury. The Broncos have stayed relatively healthy so far this year, but those are three critical players. Any extended absence would be a difficult blow, with a road divisional game and the defending champions coming to Denver in the next two weeks.

Courtland Sutton

Sutton’s been a relative non-factor this season. He caught just one of six targets Sunday. His most memorable play was batting away a near-interception late in the game from a defensive back. After two consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, the big wideout has less than 100 receiving yards this year.

“There are a handful of things that aren’t clicking. We got to figure it out fast,” Payton said.

Denver didn’t score a touchdown until the final 4 minutes, 5 seconds of a 24-14 loss to the 49ers, mustered just three points total in the first three quarters and overall did nothing to quell concerns about a unit that����ap been more down than up over the season’s first month.

Here are seven thoughts on a game that was a rugged fight for most of the afternoon and then all Niners down the stretch.

1. Sean Payton’s next move will say a lot about where he thinks Davis Webb is as a play caller

The Broncos head coach late Sunday afternoon did not sound like a man inclined toward patience.

He has stood up after each of Denver’s four games so far and handled at least a handful of questions about Denver’s offense.

After a 24-14 loss to San Francisco, he got a lot.

Broad and specific. About scheme and about players. About attitudes and adjustments and rushing and passing.

And also about play-calling.

Will Sean Payton consider taking the play sheet from his 31-year-old protégé and offensive coordinator, Davis Webb, after four games and 13 first-half points? The Broncos will wake up Monday morning averaging 18.5 points per game over the first almost quarter of the season and will find themselves ranked in the 20s or worse across a broad spectrum of offensive statistical measurements.

Has Payton seen enough to consider reconsidering?

“Yeah, like I said, it����ap too early,” Payton said. “It’s a fair question. I appreciate it. It’s tough to discuss any of that right now.”

The coach veered into broader themes before returning to the more specific query.

“To your original question, we always look at everything in each game and that’s how we’ll approach this one.”

That answer, quite notably, did not constitute a hard no.

Payton said, pointedly, that he’s concerned with where the offense finds itself overall through the first quarter of the season.

“We’ve had some opportunities, but there are a handful of things that aren’t clicking,” he said. “We’ve got to figure it out fast because we’re going into Week 5.”

What the veteran head coach does next will say a lot about where he believes the unit����ap struggles stem from.

Payton’s options aren’t limited to simply taking the play-sheet out of his coordinator’s hands.

He can shake up his depth chart. He can say, in no uncertain terms, that the Broncos must play more like they did on a fourth-quarter touchdown drive in which quarterback Bo Nix, at one point, handed the ball off five out of six snaps.

This passing chart from QB Bo Nix shows why it's been so hard for Denver's offense to generate explosives.

One completion past 10-yards down the field.

— Sam Jane (@sam_jane230)

They need something, though, and whether Payton decides they need a few small somethings or a big change will be fascinating.

So far, defenses are too often dictating the game. In the best-case scenario, Webb, Nix, and Denver’s offense would run teams or attack them aggressively enough to force a reaction. They would be pushing and pulling on defenses until they became structurally unsound and cracked wide open.

Instead, defenses look comfortable against Nix. Content to play back, allow him to check it down and bet that the Broncos won’t run the ball enough to get burned by playing light personnel and light numbers in the box.

Nix himself said last week that he needed to force teams out of that posture. Then San Francisco mostly just did the same thing.

“If you’re going to see a defense stay high and stay deep, then there needs to be this efficiency we’re talking about right now,” Payton said. “In other words, that game was playing out as our defense was playing. At halftime, you’re watching the way that game is unfolding, I would say you’re encouraged with the offensive (drive) starts that we’’ve had. We just didn’t have enough answers to get past that to get a lead.”

Does Payton think the ultimate reason those answers are not being found is a little bit of play-caller and a lot of other things mixed in? Or will Payton decide the Broncos aren’t putting players in the right spots often enough to have a realistic chance at success?

Perhaps the biggest indictment so far this season is that the Broncos have what looks like a dangerous set of offensive skill talent (plus an expensive, veteran offensive line), yet they aren’t explosive at all. The Broncos are a small-ball offense right now. They have to work really hard to make most good things happen and they have to string several hits together.

Against the run of good defenses the Broncos have faced so far this season, that hasn’t consistently been good enough.

Payton has always considered the first quarter of the season to be a key benchmark in figuring out who a particular team is. Nobody needs to be a finished product at this point, but Denver’s offensive problems have been sticky and solutions have proved elusive.

Nix, meanwhile, reiterated his confidence in Webb when asked.

“I’m real confident in him,” the third-year quarterback said. “I think when you look at the overall landscape, we’ve played four of the top teams in the league, and not easy for a first-time OC as young as he is to go against some of the, quite frankly, the best teams in the league. So, he definitely is going to continue to work to put us in the right spots.”

Denver’s 62-year-old head coach has seen enough ebbs and flows in his career to not rush to major changes right out of the starting gate. But now he must find answers before one month of offensive malaise becomes two, or threatens to kneecap a deep, talented team’s prospects.

Which buttons will he push?

2. The Broncos might have a running back problem. Again.

During Denver’s second offensive possession of the game, the offense made some headway downfield. It overcame an early penalty when Nix hit Tyler Badie for 25 yards on third-and-3. Then Badie churned for four more on third-and-2. Nix hit Marvin Mims Jr. for 10 on third-and-8.

On the Broncos’ sideline, running back J.K. Dobbins was not happy.

He stalked around. Tried to get into the game a couple of times. Exchanged heated words with running backs coach Lou Ayeni.

Finally, on the 11th play of the drive, he got a carry. It was negated by a Mike McGlinchey holding penalty.

Dobbins’ first official carry didn’t come until Denver’s fourth possession when he opened a drive by rushing for no gain.

Dobbins avoided reporters in the postgame locker room, so it����ap not entirely clear what he was thinking early in the game. He did end up with a team-high 11 carries, though Harvey had 17 touches (seven carries and 10 catches) and likely at least as much overall playing time.

What is clear regardless is that Dobbins has not been his normal, productive self over Denver’s first four games.

Through Dobbins’ first four games last season, he carried the ball 57 times for 323 yards (5.7 per carry) and three touchdowns.

Through Dobbins’ first four games this season, he’s carried the ball 46 times for 161 yards (3.6 per) and has not yet found the end zone. Nearly exactly half the rushing yards on a handful fewer carries.

Not only that, but the explosion is missing, too.

Over Dobbins’ 10 games last year, he had six outings with multiple 10-plus-yard runs. That includes the first 11 in the first four games of the season.

No Broncos rusher had a carry longer than 9 yards on Sunday against the Niners and Dobbins now has just two carries of 10-plus yards through four games this year. He hasn’t had a 10-plus yard carry since the 10:10 mark of the first quarter in Week 2 against Jacksonville.

Payton said during the week that Dobbins, a full practice participant Wednesday through Friday, is healthy. Overall, the offensive line metrics look good and coaches have said they like that group’s performance so far.

Certainly, a lack of overall commitment to and conviction in the run game has hurt the unit as a whole. And yet, Dobbins’ touches aren’t radically different than they were at this stage last year.

His production is.

That����ap a concern for Denver, especially considering rookie Jonah Coleman must miss two more games before he’s eligible to return from injured reserve.

3. Denver has to find a way to get Jaylen Waddle going.

Wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, the Broncos’ prize offseason acquisition, is supposed to be a ceiling lifter. An offense changer. A security blanket and a dynamic threat.

Through four games, however, he has not had that kind of impact.

Some of that is on him and he acknowledged as much Sunday after he dropped another pass.

“I think it����ap just execution,” he said. “That����ap ultimately what the game comes down to, especially with the offense that we want to have. Execution is the formula.”

Some of it, though, is a combination of Nix not getting him the ball in situations where he’s available and perhaps also not enough emphasis on manufacturing touches for him.

The results are stark.

Against Jacksonville, the former first-round pick had eight catches on 10 targets for 138 yards.

In Denver’s other three games combined, Waddle has eight catches on 16 targets for 47 yards. On Sunday, he caught five of six passes for just 35 yards, though Waddle did log his first touchdown.

Waddle has played in 82 games as a pro, all in Miami before four with the Broncos. His 138 yards in Week 2 was the fifth-most of his career for a game. His other three are all in the bottom 18 — or 22% — of his single-game totals.

That’s not going to work for the Broncos’ offense, given how much they are trying to design their approach around him. It is especially not going to work if that production isn’t being gobbled up by another receiver and the rushing game is often stuck in neutral.

4. Once again, penalties took a toll on Denver’s early offensive work

At the risk of piling on, penalties continue to hamper an already struggling offense’s ability to find success.

Denver’s final count of seven penalties for 44 yards isn’t a glaring number — it still stands in stark contrast to San Francisco’s one for 5 — but a modest yardage total undercounts the impact penalties had on Denver’s offense early in the game.

The Broncos overcame the first, an illegal motion on receiver Marvin Mims, Jr., to build a promising second drive. McGlinchey’s holding penalty later in the possession, though, pushed Denver back to first-and-20 from the San Francisco 43 and ultimately stalled a drive that ended with a 52-yard Wil Lutz field goal on fourth-and-11.

On each of the offense’s next two drives, false start penalties on left tackle Garett Bolles turned third-and-shorts into third-and-long. When the first penalty turned 2 yards into 7, a Nix incompletion followed, and the Broncos punted. Then Nix scrambled for 7 after a third-and-1 became third-and-6. But the drive stalled out just on the other side of midfield anyway.

5. Dre Greenlaw was a thorn in Denver’s side. How can anybody be surprised?

Former Broncos linebacker Dre Greenlaw had a terrific game, racking up 12 tackles and, in the process, consistently jawing at Broncos players and, particularly, head coach Sean Payton.

Denver inside linebacker Alex Singleton, who paired with Justin Strnad to turn in a really good outing against the Niners, laughed off any notion that such a performance — and such emotion — would catch anyone off guard.

“It was so surprising,” Singleton said with a big dollop of sarcasm. “I’m happy for him. I love the way he plays, I think I said that all of last year.”

Greenlaw praised Broncos players but was harsher on Payton himself. The veteran linebacker last year because of his injuries — that timeline would include a late-season run of four games before Greenlaw injured his hamstring.

At one point during the game, Greenlaw made a tackle along Denver’s sideline and pointed right at Payton and yelled. Payton nodded in return. After the game, Greenlaw had to be corralled by fellow linebacker Fred Warner because he was jawing at Payton again while the teams were shaking hands.

Dre Greenlaw had even more words for Sean Payton after the game. You can see/hear Fred Warner clearly pulling him away.

— Romi Bean (@Romi_Bean)

Greenlaw didn’t hold back to The Chronicle, calling it “disrespect for disrespect” and adding that Payton didn’t call him to tell him that the Broncos were cutting him in March and instead he found out from his agent.

Greenlaw said he told Payton to “get the (expletive) off the field.”

Payton spoke before those comments were published and, as he consistently has since Greenlaw was cut in March, praised the linebacker.

“I said this to Kyle (Shanahan) afterwards, I think the world of (Greenlaw),” Payton said. “I really love everything about him and he plays with that emotion. So, it����ap all good.”

6. Monday night will be a special one for Payton

Sunday’s game did not go the way Payton or the Broncos wanted. On Monday night, though, the Denver head coach will take a trip down memory lane.

The “Monday Night Football” game is Atlanta at New Orleans and there’s a 20th anniversary celebration of the Saints’ return to the Superdome for their first home game after Hurricane Katrina, which was Sept. 26, 2006.

That, of course, was Payton’s first year as a head coach.

Payton on Monday is joining ESPN2’s ManningCast during the game, which means he’ll have a chance to talk with Peyton and Eli Manning — New Orleans natives themselves — about the game and about his ties to the city.

Among others joining the broadcast is Steve Gleason, the former Saints safety who blocked a Falcons punt in the opening minutes of that game in 2006 in what became one of the most enduring NFL moments of the past two decades.

The Saints held their entire training camp and played their entire preseason slate away from New Orleans that summer while repairs continued. Then they won their first two regular season games on the road ahead of an anticipated home debut.

Payton took the team to practice at the Superdome a couple of nights before the game, and after practice, he gathered the team and had the lights shut off.

“Up on the big screens they played the video — a lot of people have probably seen that video,” linebacker Scott Shanle said this week. “It starts off hovering over the dome. So we watched that and his whole thing was, ‘it����ap going to be a special night, but it����ap going to be more special if we win.’ For guys like myself, Drew (Brees), all these guys that were new to the team — we had very few holdovers from the Haslett era. If you looked around, (holdovers) Deuce McAllister, Mike Karney, Will Smith, Charles Grant, these guys had tears running down their faces.

“You knew everything they had gone through. For us, we watched it on TV, you know? But to know they were displaced for a year, they were in San Antonio, what the city went through, you knew it was more than a normal football game.”

Shanle said he saw the night as the Superdome and the city being healed. It also was the loudest environment he’d ever heard, especially when Gleason blocked the punt in the opening minutes and it was recovered for a touchdown.

“There are certain moments that you replay in your head and you can hear, feel and touch from your playing days,” Shanle said. “As soon as you asked, ‘What was that like?’ I can hear the noise of the block. Like a shotgun blast. Boom. You see the ball bounce, Curtis DeLoatch scooping it up, dunks it over the goal post. …

“I’ll say unequivocally, people ask me what the loudest game I played in was and it����ap not even close. The first series of the game on the field standing there against Atlanta, seeing (Falcons QB Mike) Vick’s mouth move and him trying to audible. I felt like I was vibrating on the field.”

7a. Webb wanted more CFL football. Instead, the Broncos did almost nothing but plod

How can a 47% outing on third down be a bad thing for Denver’s offense?

Well, because they faced 17 third downs on the day.

“I think it shows us converting, but it just shows that we’re in way too many third downs,” Nix said.

This is a recurring theme for the quarterback. On Wednesday, in the lead-up to the game, Nix said he felt the Broncos had to convert on third down over and over to move the ball.

“Are we getting first downs early in drives, or are we having to go first down, second down, third down?” he asked rhetorically then. “That����ap just exhausting as an offense in general. So the best teams that start fast, they typically just stay out of third down.”

Webb and Payton call that “CFL football,” after the Canadian league, where teams have only two downs to get a first down.

The Broncos, though, haven’t done much of that and, strangely enough, didn’t, except for one fourth-quarter drive in which they ran the ball five times in six plays.

Denver didn’t get a first down from anywhere but third down until late in the third quarter, when RJ Harvey got 2 yards on a second-and-1 snap.

7b. It has been tough sledding so far this season for Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton.

The ninth-year pro posted back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons in quarterback Bo Nix’s first two years as Denver’s starting quarterback, but his production has lagged early this year. Sutton, now through four games this season, has nine catches on 20 targets for 86 yards after just one catch (four targets) for 4 yards against the San Francisco 49ers. Sutton has topped 86 yards in 20 different single games in his career, including five last year alone. He hasn’t had a dry spell like this one over a four-game stretch since November of 2021.

“I’ll have to go back and watch,” Nix said of Sutton’s lack of production against Sutton. “I have the same angle the whole game. Interested to see what actually goes on and how they’re doing a good job of covering him. I don’t know, that’s a week-to-week thing. I know we targeted him today. We just need to connect it a little bit more.”

Sutton has come out of lulls in production before and gone on big runs in the passing game. The Broncos don’t absolutely have to have that, but they do need more from their veteran offensive skill players and more from their passing game overall.

7c. Mims’ fumble on a third-quarter punt return loomed large in the game and it was very close to not being a fumble at all.

The Broncos’ ace return man was tackled in the open field by 49ers defensive back Siran Neal and started to go to the ground. He had a hand flat on the ground as well as the back of the hand and the wrist of the arm he was carrying the ball in. The ball popped free and Neal recovered it. The officiating crew ruled the play a turnover right away and that decision stood upon review. Payton said he didn’t have a good look at it live and his staff was looking at the play for a potential challenge after it happened, but the league also automatically reviews all turnover plays.

Some of the Broncos coaching staff didn’t see a close replay of the ruling until after the game and at least one couldn’t believe it was ruled a turnover. The broadcast had doubts, too, including the CBS broadcasters.

“His forearm is down,” color commentator Trent Green said, and play-by-play man Kevin Harlan agreed. “It’s Denver’s ball.”

Rules analyst Gene Steratore said on the broadcast that the wrist is akin to a hand rather than the forearm and that was likely the justification for the call being confirmed, but, “personally, it feels like he is down by contact.”

Except he wasn’t. And it turned into a 60-yard field-position swing. At the time, the Broncos defense started the second half with two three-and-outs and pinned the Niners deep. Once San Francisco was set up at the Denver 28-yard line, though, the Niners offense punched in the first touchdown of the day to take a 10-3 lead.

Dre Greenlaw reminded them of this sobering fact Sunday. On his first tackle and with last words. He celebrated by pointing at Sean Payton, and providing his unsolicited opinion to the coach after the 49ers’ 24-14 victory at Levi’s Stadium.

“I love everything about him. He plays with that emotion,” Payton insisted. “We are all good.”

You know that is not the truth, right? Of course you do.

Greenlaw played angry, exacting revenge for a lost season in Denver because of injuries and a team that did not customize his practice schedule like his current one.

Broncos bruised, battered and facing a bumpy road after 24-14 loss to 49ers

The Broncos left annoyed because of a growing issue with their offense in general and the quarterback specifically.

One week after the latest, greatest comeback, the Broncos ran out of pixie dust. This was predictable because the way Denver is winning -- and Nix is playing -- is not sustainable.

The Broncos keep starting games like they are playing baseball. No clock. No rush. Like a batter who thinks he gets four strikes.

Momentum? Can't create it.

Explosiveness? They are waving sparklers as M-80s explode around their feet.

Urgency? About to find out.

There is no shame in a .500 record at the quarter mile given the schedule -- the Broncos' opponents are a combined 13-3 and Kansas City, Jacksonville and San Francisco all lead their divisions.

But it is becoming increasingly difficult to make sense of the Broncos' blueprint that alternates between infuriating and charming.

Sunday brought a new word that has lingered as an unmistakable vibe, even in the wins.

"I am sure frustrated," Payton said.

What Payton does next is going to tell us a lot about his patience. He's unlikely to remove Davis Webb as the play-caller, but how the personnel looks going forward will be revealing.

J.K. Dobbins hasn't looked like himself since hurting his hip/hamstring against Jacksonville, and he spent part of the first half pleading for more snaps as R.J. Harvey looked more dynamic. Is the second-year back the answer until Jonah Coleman returns from injured reserve?

And what about Courtland Sutton? He has nine catches for 86 yards on the season, breaking up more passes than snaring them the last few weeks.

Jaylen Waddle has flashed, but his next deep catch will be his first.

The Broncos revel in living with their toes dangling off the cliff. They play their best when the sirens blare. But don't be fooled by their 12-game win streak of one-score games in the regular season.

It exists only because they couldn't keep San Francisco close enough, and the 49ers untethered when tight end George Kittle raced 56 yards for a score with 2:15 remaining.

After the loss, ����apountry was asking one question: When will cornerbacks Pat Surtain II (ankle) and Riley Moss (ribs) and receiver Pat Bryant (leg) return?

But the most important question is the one lurking, festering, the one we should fear.

When will Nix show improvement? When is he going to become more consistent? More dangerous?

"We have had four really good challenges so far. We definitely don't have to hit the panic button," said Nix, who completed 25 of 42 passes for 214 yards and one touchdown. "We have to grind and find ways to get better."

It is becoming obvious, with the way teams are defending Nix, that he will not take a step forward until the Broncos run more effectively. They are terrible in first halves on the ground, netting 32 yards on Sunday.

"It's a huge part of our job. And we are not doing it well enough. As a team we need to be able to run the ball better, and be able to rely on it," right tackle Mike McGlinchey said. "Games are tight, games are close. We move the ball, but we are not finishing."

The result is an obnoxious imbalance -- nine carries to 24 pass attempts in the first 30 minutes. Thirteen carries to 18 passes in the second half.

Nix is 5-4 in his career when he reaches 40 attempts, a testament to adequate.

The problem is the Broncos need him to be special, the type of player who can elevate his teammates for 60 minutes, not just the last five.

For every sliver of progress in the near 100-degree heat, the results felt hollow because the Broncos couldn't land a haymaker.

The 49ers dared the Broncos by playing two-high safeties. When teams used to do this to Denver coach Mike Shanahan, Terrell Davis put on his hard hat, grabbed his lunch pail and went to work.

"Against that look," Nix said, "you want to run the football and we have to continue to find a way to do that."

The Broncos finished with 82 yards rushing, most of which came on a fourth-quarter scoring drive when the 49ers were happy to let Denver eat the clock.

There is no fear of Nix beating anyone deep.

"They are putting a lid on it," receiver Jaylen Waddle said of the coverage tactics.

So the Broncos plod. Their offensive attack is more horizontal than a bookshelf. Dink. Dunk. And hope someone texts NASA to help them do something creative in space.

It has left Davis Webb, a dynamic offensive mind, coloring in black and white. Few good plays exist when a team faces third-and-long as often as the Broncos.

But here's the thing. Nix has the ability to electrify. He doesn't have to be great. Or camouflage more blemishes than Revlon.

As the quarterback of the Broncos with a defense that takes everything personally, he needs only to make a few big plays to make up for a few deficiencies around him.

And yet, he seems reluctant to take off. He seems too willing to take the check down, rather than challenging a corner downfield (heck underthrow it purposely to draw interference like every other team does).

When CBS reported during the game that Nix has dealt with ankle swelling after flights, it seemed like a revelation, like something was finally connecting the dots. I asked Nix if anything about his recovery from multiple surgeries was inhibiting him.

"No," Nix said.

I saw Nix in the locker room afterward, and he said it's all good. I believe him. This is not a health issue. It's about performance and execution.

Nix has not played bad. He just has not played good.

It is not about pressure. Nix has handled the spotlight with aplomb since his rookie season. Nix is not getting enough help on first down. And there were again a handful of drops.

But understand something. Nix isn't having the same year he did in 2025, when only a broken ankle kept him from a Super Bowl berth.

Nix remains grounded as the team searches for answers on the ground.

There is no reason to sound the alarm. But what the first month has taught us is that if the Broncos' run game is awful, Nix isn't good enough.

They had already kept the Broncos’ reeling offense in this latest fight for more than three quarters, waiting and waiting and waiting for quarterback Bo Nix and company to locate their late-game magic once again.

Instead of a stop, though, Denver got knocked out.

Instead of more late-game heroics, Denver got nothing but frustration.

Instead of a rousing win on the road in the face of another top-flight opponent and a raft of injuries to key players, the Broncos got thumped, 24-14.

They are 2-2 and, on paper, still in fine position given the daunting nature of their schedule.

Renck: No reason to panic, but Broncos’ Bo Nix is not good enough when run game remains bad

Under the hood, though, concerning signals are blinking that, if they aren't fixed soon, could crescendo into alarm bells.

This may not be the time for panic, but Sean Payton’s team is headed back to the Front Range anything but unscathed.

“The thing I felt coming away from the game was, man, our guys left it out there with the heat and everything,” Payton said. “And yet we’ve got to look closely at, alright, what are the things that we can do as teachers to help them?”

The final blow was a perfectly timed 56-yard screen pass from Brock Purdy to George Kittle for a touchdown with 2 minutes, 15 seconds remaining. The sequence that led to it was emblematic of a Broncos team that can play with anybody but has erased any margin for error in the first quarter of this season by making too many mistakes and generating too little offense.

After a first-half stalemate and three points aside in the opening 30 minutes, Joseph’s defense came out flying in the third quarter.

The group forced a three-and-out in 1:04 to open the second half. Nix and the offense went nowhere, but punter Jeremy Crawshaw pinned the Niners at their own 8-yard line.

When Denver’s defense forced another three-and-out, San Francisco’s vaunted offense had 4 total yards in the third quarter and had seen its seven drives on the afternoon end like this: Punt, turnover on downs, punt, field goal, blocked field goal, punt, punt. Purdy and company had been turned away in the red zone for only the second time in 11 tries this season. They’d found some success rushing, but only sustained one drive.

Joseph called San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan the best halftime adjuster in football during the week of preparation, but Denver’s defensive coordinator had been his equal or better to that point.

Despite another week of next to nothing offensively early on, the Broncos dragged the Niners into a fistfight. They’d turned each possession into trench warfare and slow progress rather than a track meet.

Then Marvin Mims, Jr. was ruled to have fumbled a punt return, though, the field flipped by 60 yards in a flash and the game flipped with it.

Shanahan’s offense grinded out 28 yards for a touchdown after the fumble to take a 10-3 lead. They mounted a muscular nine-play, 74-yard touchdown drive the next time they got the ball to extend the advantage to 17-6. After Nix and company finally put the ball in the end zone and clawed to within 17-14, Joseph took a big swing to try to get the ball back, dialing up a first-down blitz from San Francisco’s 42-yard line.

But Shanahan finally had the perfect counter. A screen the other way to Kittle, who stepped through one tackle attempt and rumbled right through the Broncos’ heart for a putaway touchdown.

“You just want to stop them,” Alex Singleton said. … “You want to push them back. It was a great play-call.

After three points in seven possessions, San Francisco scored touchdowns on its final three.

In the process, they sent the Broncos home with a basket full of questions at the season's de facto quarter mark.

The Broncos have talked about the early-season race to improve, but has this offense?

The Broncos have talked about establishing the run, but they threw the ball 24 times in the first half while running it only nine times.

The Broncos have talked about making life easier for Nix, but through four games his efficiency metrics, his quarterback rating, his completion percentage and his scoring output are all substantially worse than either of his first two seasons.

The Broncos believe themselves to be a resilient bunch, but they are about to put that notion to the test in a major way if they are without All-Pro corner Pat Surtain II, his running mate Riley Moss and wide receiver Pat Bryant for any length of time. Denver has played without quality players, including Surtain and Moss, for stretches in the past, but it hasn't lost three key starters in a game since Payton’s been in Denver.

The season is no longer young.

The road has been predictably rugged.

This group has shown a penchant for the rebound and Payton has been brilliant in October as a head coach, but the coming weeks are not likely to provide much in the way of reprieve.

"I think the frustration is just within the losses," Nix said after completing 25 of 42 passes for 214 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown to Jaylen Waddle. "We've played really good teams, had four really good challenges so far. We're sitting here at 2-2, so I definitely don't think we hit the panic button. At the same time, we just have to grind and find ways to get better."

If it feels like the Broncos have been here before, it����ap because the team has started 2-2 in each of its last three seasons.

By this time last year, though, Denver had already started what ultimately became an 11-game winning streak. In 2024, they won in Week 4 in the midst of a stretch in which they won five of six.

That kind of heater might be just around the corner for this group, too, but under the baking South Bay sun on Sunday afternoon, they looked more like a team searching for answers than finding solutions.

Offense — D

Once again the Broncos’ offense let down the defense. Denver’s offense failed to run the ball effectively for the fourth straight game, did not even try to push the ball downfield and struggled to sustain any early-down success.

The Broncos recorded only 296 yards of offense, for a meager 4.6 yards per play. Bo Nix completed 25 passes, but he threw for just 214 yards and rarely hit on any passes beyond 10 yards. His ball placement was inconsistent, even on passes that were completed to Broncos’ wideouts. He nearly threw an interception to end the game, but wideout Courtland Sutton knocked the ball away from the San Francisco defensive back.

If Denver’s passing attack was porous, its ground game was almost worse. Offensive coordinator Davis Webb elected to run it only nine times in the first half, for 32 yards. Running back J.K. Dobbins appeared frustrated on multiple plays in the first half, frequently pacing on the sideline. Dobbins and RJ Harvey played better after halftime, upping the Broncos’ ground attack to 82 yards on the day. Denver’s most successful drive featured multiple running plays of 6 yards or more, which was capped off by a Jaylen Waddle touchdown.

But that was about the only success Denver enjoyed, and when the offense on the other side is one of the best in football, it’s difficult to win by scoring just 14 points. Concerns about the Broncos’ offense grow with each passing week.

Defense — B+

The Broncos lost both starting cornerbacks for the second half after Patrick Surtain II (ankle) and Riley Moss (ribs) both exited with injuries. Vance Joseph’s unit still played well without them, holding one of the best offenses in football to 358 yards.

Denver’s run defense, which has struggled at times this year, was stout against Christian McCaffrey. The Colorado native rushed for just 52 yards on 15 carries and backup running back Kaelon Black rushed for just 13 yards.

In the second half, the Broncos’ passing defense surrendered a few big plays that cost them the game. First, quarterback Brock Purdy hit fullback Kyle Juszczyk for a big first down after scrambling around, then Kyle Shanahan drew up a gorgeous tight end screen pass to George Kittle. The tight end scampered untouched for a back-breaking touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

It’s hard to win without two starters, particularly when they come at the same position. Denver’s defense played inspired football, but ultimately San Francisco’s offense wore them down in the second half.

Special teams — B-

Broncos’ fans got a healthy dose of Jeremy Crawshaw on Sunday, probably more than they wanted to see, but Denver’s punter was once again excellent. He pinned the 49ers’ offense within the 20-yard line several times. Will Lutz drilled two field goals, missing a deep one late in the game.

But Marvin Mims Jr.’s fumble was crushing. After review, it appeared as if the call might get overturned, but the call on the field was upheld and the Broncos’ defense was forced to stay on the field. That play significantly hurt Denver’s hopes of a comeback.

Coaching — C

Sean Payton elected to kick a field goal with 14:08 left facing a fourth-and-two from the 22-yard line. The analytics suggested going for it, but Payton chose to take the points.

Webb keeps shying away from running the football in the first half and Payton seemed visibly frustrated in the postgame with the ground game’s struggles. The Broncos’ defense fought hard despite the injuries, but the offense again looked uninspired.

Denver will be without outside linebacker Dondrea Tillman, who was ruled out Friday with a hamstring injury. He is the only Denver player with a game designation.

Everyone else on the injury report this week — WRs Jaylen Waddle (foot) and Marvin Mims Jr. (foot) and RB J.K. Dobbins (hip) — practiced fully all week and is cleared to play.

Mims returns after a two-game absence and adds another dynamic option to both Denver’s passing game and as a returner. He is the Broncos’ primary punt returner and, head coach Sean Payton said earlier this year, will also see rotational kick return work.

Tillman is a role player, but has seen 77 snaps of defensive work through three games, good for 36% of Denver’s defensive snaps, and has been a special teams staple (75% of snaps).

The biggest question is how the Broncos will defend San Francisco’s run game and how Tillman’s loss affects Denver’s defense.

Nik Bonitto and Jonah Elliss have played an identical 134 snaps (62%) through three games and Que Robinson is at 40%. Those three could be asked to play more snaps this weekend. The Broncos could also use more defensive linemen, either by adjusting their front alignment or by using a defensive lineman in more of an edge role. Sai’Vion Jones would make sense, given how he played in college at LSU.

For the 49ers, Defensive linemen Nick Bosa and James Thompson Jr. are out, while WR Mike Evans and ILB Dre Greenlaw are questionable. San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan said Evans will be a game-time decision.

Broncos release Lil’Jordan Humphrey, set to promote Adam Prentice

In an expected move, the Broncos are signing fullback Adam Prentice to the 53-man roster, a source confirmed to The Post.

Prentice has played in all three games and is part of Denver’s offensive and special-teams plans each week. He was released at the roster cutdown deadline in late August as a procedural move, with the understanding that he’d be promoted to the active roster when a spot opened up.

However, Denver has been relatively healthy and has placed only one player — running back Jonah Coleman — on injured reserve through the first three weeks. To make room for Prentice, the Broncos released receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey on Friday, per the wire.

By making the move Friday, the Broncos can re-sign him to the practice squad Saturday and then have the option of elevating him to the game-day roster against San Francisco.

Sean Payton knows Raheem Morris’ defense extremely well

Sean Payton doesn’t call plays anymore, but he’s extremely familiar with San Francisco defensive coordinator Raheem Morris.

Morris’ second stint with Tampa Bay began in 2007, Payton’s second season in New Orleans. The pair have shared a division for 11 years total — Payton entirely with the Saints, Morris with the Bucs and then Atlanta.

Payton says he sees Morris’ imprint on the 49ers defense already and that his experience played a big role in Denver’s offensive planning this week.

“That was important this week in studying the cutups,” Payton said. “You’re trying to track — you’ve got three games this year and then what are we tracking going back? He’s done a really good job defensively. They’re playing really good red zone defense. They present a lot of problems.”

Payton didn’t say specifically when asked if he took a bigger role in the offensive meetings this week, but he, play-caller Davis Webb and the rest of the group have a lot of institutional knowledge in the building.

“The defense was different — this goes all the way back to when he was at Tampa,” Payton said of Morris. “I’ve known Raheem, gosh, for ages. Joint practice here with the Rams. He was in Atlanta. Tremendous coach with great juice. There’s a group of guys that you have real close friendships with. I’m glad they’re in the NFC.

“You see them one out of every four times and maybe in the last game.”

Their personnel grouping — receivers Jaylen Waddle, Courtland Sutton and Pat Bryant, tight end Adam Trautman and running back J.K. Dobbins — was perfectly normal.

Then quarterback Bo Nix motioned Waddle into the backfield to present a two-back look. Trautman motioned, too, to the offense’s left. At the snap, a Dobbins run to the left; Trautman peeled back to block the backside.

It was an interesting design. Maybe Dobbins would have found room off the left edge, or perhaps he would have found a cut-back lane.

However, Rams corner Jaylen Watson knifed underneath Sutton and stopped Dobbins for a loss of 2 yards.

The Broncos went three-and-out and hit on a pair of early-season bugaboos in the process. They haven’t run the ball well in the first half, and they haven’t been efficient on first downs.

The week before, Dobbins rushed for 4 yards then 1 on Denver’s first two snaps, but then a Waddle false start put them in third-and-10 anyway.

Against Kansas City, Denver ran it just six times in 25 first-half snaps and averaged 7.3 yards to go on third down.

“I would say this: We haven’t run the ball in the first half of any of those three games,” Payton said recently. “We haven’t run it consistently well enough. Clearly.”

This is not exactly a new phenomenon. The Broncos last year in their first three games rushed for 25 first-half yards against Tennessee, 52 against Indianapolis and 11 against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Overall, offensive coordinator Davis Webb said the lack of early-game run production this year is due to a myriad of reasons.

“There’s a lot of things that have to do with that, and I think it����ap their game plan vs. us and us settling down and running similar runs, just maybe a little different dress-up in the second half. I think we have to run with a little more conviction, for sure, and I think our offensive line has done a good job being consistent in pass pro and giving us some holes.”

By conviction, Webb means his backs seeing a hole and hitting it “full-steam ahead,” he said.

“I think our runners do that, but I just think there’s been some times where that can be a little bit better and I anticipate that getting better,” he added.

Denver played against the Rams and will go the next three weeks without rookie Jonah Coleman, who is a natural between the tackles. RJ Harvey hasn’t yet shown that he’s a polished and decisive runner down in and down out. Dobbins was one of the best backs in football for the first 10 games last year, but so far this season he has not produced at the same level. He didn’t look particularly explosive last week against the Rams after getting hit on the hip during a Week 2 win over Jacksonville.

“I think he’s ready,” Payton said this week about Dobbins. “And I just think that there’ll be a combination of things that can lead into that, but I’m looking forward to watching him. There’s a big reason why we brought him back and re-signed him — because we saw the skill set and what drives him.”

Getting the running game going is a clear piece of the puzzle to being more efficient on early downs.

“We’ve got to be better there,” Webb said. “I think we’ve been in second-and-long a little bit, whether that be a run that gets us to 8, 9, 10, 11 or an incomplete pass. Then you’re staring at how a defense plays second-and-8 plus or second-and-12 plus… It’s what we have going into the game plan, how we feel we can get to a manageable third down.

“First-down success is No. 1. We want to play CFL football as much as we can and skip third downs.”

The Broncos, through three weeks, have not been doing that.

They have one of the worst rushing success rates in football at 32.4%, according to NextGen Stats, which is No. 29. They’re even worse on first down (25.6% success rate, No. 31). That����ap despite Denver mostly avoiding getting dropped for no gain or a loss and also despite having the No. 8 mark in football in yards gained before contact (1.78).

Both of those marks speak to Webb’s notion that the offensive line has been good overall.

The rest of the picture needs improving. And quickly.

“I think we’re very, very close to breaking through in that way and we’ll see what happens this week,” Webb said.

Not on the football field, mind you. There, Waddle can run a double move in a 12-yard box on a 2-point conversion play.

Instead, the route Waddle and Denver players take to their cars after games.

Fans after Sunday night’s wild win over the Los Angeles Rams took photos and videos of Waddle wearing a walking boot on his right foot, raising concerns about a potential injury.

Not to worry, Payton said Wednesday, one day after The Post reported Waddle had avoided any substantial injury.

“He’s doing great,” Payton said of Waddle. “A lot of times — look, I saw what you saw, right? Let’s be honest, we saw him in a boot. I would just say this — I normally don’t spend a lot of time on injuries, but you’d be amazed at how many players after a game, we put a boot on them.”

Waddle, Payton said, was a full practice participant Wednesday. He is listed on the injury report with a foot issue, but the boot was only a precaution.

“We’ve got to find a way to not have him walking through the parking lot and then have you guys asking me questions on Wednesday about a boot,” Payton said.

Waddle, of course, made one of the biggest plays of the game in Denver’s comeback, running an out-and-up on a 2-point play and then catching a pass from quarterback Bo Nix that came in straight over defensive back Josh Wallace’s helmet.

In a video posted by the NFL of Nix, who had a microphone on for the game, the quarterback marvels, “I don’t know how he saw it. I threw it to a spot just praying.”

Payton on Wednesday was equally impressed.

“No. 1, it takes a bit of time because it’s, call it a double-move at the 2-yard line and that’s, like, ‘Whoa,'” Payton said. “So it stems off that little quick (action). And it’s not really for everyone to run. You’ve got to start fast, stop fast. The throw, the timing and all of that were pretty remarkable.”

Dondrea Tillman dealing with hamstring, Marvin Mims Jr. back to full-go

Elsewhere on the injury report, OLB Dondrea Tillman did not practice due to a hamstring injury. Tillman played until late in the fourth quarter against the Rams, but a source told The Post that he is dealing with muscle tightness and is considered day-to-day.

Wide receiver Marvin Mims, Jr. (foot) and running back J.K. Dobbins (hip) were full participants. DT Zach Allen got a partial veteran rest day.

The news on Mims is particularly encouraging. He’s missed the past two weeks and hadn’t been a full participant since before Denver’s opener against Kansas City. Payton said after the Rams game that the Broncos hoped to get Mims back “soon” and that appears to be tracking toward this weekend.

San Francisco had a litany of key players who didn’t practice Wednesday, including LT Trent Williams (neck), Nick Bosa (calf), Mike Evans (ribs), Dre Greenlaw (quad), Christian McCaffrey (vet rest) and Keion White (hamstring).

League told Sean McVay that DPI shouldn’t have been called late in Denver win

Rams coach Sean McVay told reporters in Los Angeles on Wednesday that the league told him no pass interference should have been called against Wallace on a critical third-down snap during Denver’s game-winning drive. Broncos receiver Pat Bryant acknowledged that he sold the contact made on the play in hopes of drawing a flag, but also that he thought Wallace did interfere.