The Denver Broncos did not see the same type of performance from rookie first-round pick Bo Nix in Week 1 versus the Seattle Seahawks that he had shown in the preseason.
Opponents craft specific gameplans in the regular season while eams remain basic in the preseason. Still, Broncos offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi saw what Denver Sports’ Andrew Mason termed a “great sign” from Nix in the aftermath of the loss.
“The thing I like the most is when we came in on Monday and watched the film, before anything’s said, he knew and he had answers for everything. And you could see that there’s going to be growth from when he makes mistakes. I would say that you know nobody on offense, and including the coaches, had a great day on Sunday. So I think everyone getting a little bit better is going to help him the most,” Lombardi told reporters on September 12.
“He just gets better from all the experience. And I’m sure he was really jazzed up on Sunday, and he’ll probably be a little bit more calm as every game comes along and he’ll just keep getting better and better. And that’s I guess what I was encouraged with on Monday is just how quickly he figured it out.”
Lombardi pointed to Nix’s decisions on throws, some of which led to interceptions that the coach said were “forced” by the young QB. But he came away optimistic about Nix and the progress he will make.
Nix completed 61.9% of his passes for 138 yards and 2 interceptions in the 26-20 loss.
He was honest about the offense’s shortcomings postgame. But Nix remained resolute that they would work through them.
“Obviously, if balls are on the ground, you got to evaluate how you can change it,” Nix told reporters on September 8. “But sometimes that’s part of the game. They play defense too. They try to get to the ball. And, obviously, we didn’t hit them all. So that’s what we’re going to continue to try to do is go out there and hit them all.”
Broncos OC Spreads Blame, Credits Defense
GettyOffensive Coordinator Joe Lombardi of the Denver Broncos.
Lombardi’s mention of the entire team struggling and potentially being the biggest help for Nix is similar to Broncos head coach Sean Payton’s comments coming out of the contest.
Payton noted the offensive line and wide receivers’ impact on Nix’s showing.
“Our protection was average at best,” Payton told reporters after the game on September 8. “At one point in the game, I came to the bench and talked to the receivers and said, ‘Let’s go. I don’t know how many drops we had. But, man, let’s help this guy.”
Lombardi, who is in his second season with the Broncos and 14th as an assistant under Payton, was similarly critical. He still saw the silver lining when asked for encouraging signs.
Lombardi also gave a bit of a hat tip to Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph’s group.
“Just how bad we played, how much better we can play. It’s not what we saw in practice every day, not what we saw in the preseason all the way around. And some guys were pushing too hard, we slipped a few times, we had a couple drops. There’s just – it’s always the losers lament – but there’s just a bunch of stuff that we saw that we don’t think’s indicative of who we are,” Lombardi said.
“Our defense gave us an opportunity to really put the game away, and we didn’t. But when you look at how much better we should have played, [we] could have easily won that game. So we just got to back to playing the way we know we can.”
Bo Nix, Broncos Could Face Blitz-Heavy Attack From Steelers
GettyT.J. Watt #90 and Cameron Heyward #97 of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Seahawks blitzed the Broncos on 20.4% of their snaps, the 11th-lowest rate in the NFL in Week 1, per Pro Football Reference. The Pittsburgh Steelers blitzed their Week 1 opponent, the Atlanta Falcons, 10.7% of the time. That was good for the fourth-lowest mark in Week 1.
Historically speaking, however, those trends should reverse, particularly for Pittsburgh’s approach.
The Steelers blitzed opponents at the sixth-highest rate in 2023.
Facing a four-time Pro Bowler in Kirk Cousins may have factored into that. The Steelers were also trotting out their backup quarterback in Justin Fields. Fields has one start and another week of practice under his belt while Nix lacks Cousins’ NFL experience.
Nix did complete 71.4% of his passes for 45 yards when the Seahawks blitzed, which occurred on 16 of his 42 dropbacks, per Pro Football Focus.
He struggled when under duress, though, so there will be a fine line for the Broncos to walk.
