Broncos Want Nix To ‘Let It Rip’ As He Continues To Look Lost

The Denver Broncos have a clock problem, and it has nothing to do with game management. It’s about quarterback Bo Nix, who’s getting sped up as soon as the ball is snapped, and they’re trying to slow down Nix’s internal clock so he can just “let it rip,” to use the words of coach Sean Payton. 

Nix is one of the most criticized quarterbacks in the league, and his critics are relentless. The quarterback led the Broncos to a 14-3 record last season, and he set records and made history in the process with some of his fourth-quarter comebacks. 

But that’s not stopping his critics, and this year their condemnation is justified. Denver finished 1-of-12 on third down on Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers, and the Broncos  gained only 224 net yards and had one play longer than 12 yards before the fourth quarter, per stats from Jeff Legwold of ESPN. Nix finished with the second-lowest passing yardage of his career as he went 16-of-27 passing for 123 yards and a touchdown.

Bad stats are everywhere right now when it comes to Nix. He’s 24th in the league in QBR at 43.1,  and 30th in completion percentage over expectation by -4.1 percent, which is ahead of only Cleveland's Deshaun Watson. 

The team stats are downright alarming. The Broncos are near the bottom of the league in most categories on offense, including scoring at just 18.0 points per game, which is 29th in the league. Only the Arizona Cardinals have fewer plays of 20 yards or more than the Broncos' 11.

Nix takes a lot of criticism for his footwork from ex-quarterbacks, and Payton said his quarterack is “settling that down.” The coach also referenced protection issues that are part of the problem, but he didn’t go into specifics.

The answer for the moment is to rely more on what’s been a bad running game. The Broncos finally managed to get some production on the ground from running back J.K. Dobbins that helped things get a little better, but Denver won against LA because their defense produced two turnovers and gave the Broncos a short field that led to key scores.

Nix talked about “a little subtle piece” that’s missing that enhances vision about what’s available and when to make throws, but what we’re seeing from the outside looking in is just flat-out bad. Payton keeps talking about details and “reducing the variables,” but the reality is that clock is running out on Denver's ability to get it together.