Good morning, Broncos Country!
Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos offense have to get better.
Yet despite the offensive struggles, the Broncos are 4-2. Don’t forget the gauntlet of a schedule that Denver escaped to get to that record. That makes the first six games even more impressive for this team.
Both can be true, but it also makes you think what the Broncos are if Nix and the offense play to their potential.
As head coach Sean Payton said to the media earlier this week:
“I shared this with you guys, and I’ll say it again: I have to
be better just relative to in the course of the game. Each game takes on a different feel or style, if you will. Collectively, I think (Nix’s) play will be a byproduct of all of us doing our jobs better.”
When told what Payton said, Nix responded with this to the media:
“He’s been a really good leader right now. We need that. I think it goes back to us. I have to play better. We have to play better. The offense has to play better. He’s going to take his (blame), and that’s what great leaders do. I feel like I can overcome some of the stuff that is putting us in a bad spot, and I feel like I can play better.
“I’ve looked at my preparation. I’ve looked at my process, and I’ve tried to see anything that can be moved around or be changed so that I can overcome and just figure out ways to put us in a better spot. For us, if Coach is saying that, if I’m saying that, we have plenty of leadership on offense saying that, we’re going to be just fine. We’re going to be OK.”
Perhaps the most telling moment of Nix’s press conference on Wednesday was his opening up about his ankle injury and overcoming the mental aspects of it, not just the physical recovery.
“I’d be lying if I said no,” Nix said. “I think that’s just what happens. I think you come back, and every day is a progression. I’m not necessarily doing physical therapy treatment, but I’m out there on the practice field getting rep after rep trying to get back in super great shape so my carries can go up, so I’m ready when my number’s called and when I can run.
“I’m not scared. I’m not physically worried. I just think there’s something to the sport. I think all guys, when they come back from an injury, just doing it one day at a time. I think that’s just part of the game. That’s part of the process. I had surgery probably six months ago. It takes a while for things to fully reengage. I’m confident in myself. I know I’m going to get back and be exactly what I was, if not better. My training is going like this (points upwards), and at the end of the day, it’s all about getting better.”
What gives Nix confidence that he can and will play better is that he’s done. We’ve seen Nix have success on the football field. Heck, in the game that Nix broke his ankle, he outdueled Josh Allen.
Getting back to that level of play isn’t out of the question. And when it happens, the Broncos are legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
“I think that’s what’s playing the biggest factor in it right now is I’ve seen what it is like to be very concise, be very crisp and to be very good on a competitive Sunday. I just am working to get back to that. At the same time, there are so many things that go into it … I know the things that I can control. I’m working to maximize those.
“I just feel strong where I’m at. I’m good mentally. I had a good practice today. I feel good physically. I think it’s going to be there. It’s just in football, you have to get that one (game) that just gets you going. I think we’ve been playing some really good teams thus far and haven’t gotten that one, but we’re searching for that one game that sort of just puts us right back where we were.”
