The Denver Broncos have found a way to lead the American Football Conference West division and the entire National Football League with an 8-2 record.

The defense has anchored the team for most of their victories, pressuring opposing quarterbacks like their hair is on fire and logging 46 sacks through 10 games this season.

Denver’s offense hasn’t produced the way head coach Sean Payton and quarterback Bo Nix have wanted thus far, and their inconsistencies are shown every week.

It seems like every week, the offense struggles to get anything going through the first three quarters and then finds a way to prevail in the fourth quarter. That’s not a recipe for long-term success, but wins are wins and they have eight of them in 10 efforts.

So what’s the problem? Nix just isn’t an effective downfield passer yet. He struggles mightily on throws that go 10-plus yards and has been intercepted on deep balls often in his career.

“Should Nix and the Broncos embrace a more ambitious approach on early downs? Not so fast, my friend. Nix is still 28th in off-target rate and 29th in completion percentage over expectation on those late-down throws, per NFL Next Gen Stats,” ESPN’s Ben Solak wrote Tuesday. “Just like last season, Nix's accuracy tails off tremendously when he's forced to put extra velocity on the football. On throws of 10 or more air yards, his off-target rate is dead last among all quarterbacks over the past two seasons combined. For all his risk aversion, Nix has 17 interceptions on throws 10-plus yards downfield, tied with Geno Smith for the most in the NFL. That's the issue with significant accuracy drain in the deeper areas of the field -- the defense has time to adjust to the bad football.

“There are, of course, flashes of excellence that belie Nix's downfield play -- everyone remembers the deep ball to Marvin Mims Jr. against the Bengals last season, or the opening touchdown against the Bills in the wild-card round. But a few good throws do not make a downfield passer. Broncos fans might bemoan the offensive system, but it is the only one in which a quarterback like Nix is viable.”

Denver will need more success from Nix as a passer throughout the whole game, not just in the fourth quarter. If Nix can manage his early-game struggles, the Broncos have a good chance to make it far in the postseason and who knows, maybe they’ll earn a trip to the Super Bowl.