Another Worrisome News For Denver Broncos Fans

The Sean Payton offense — that’s what we were promised. It was the focus of the entire offseason.

Denver moved on from Russell Wilson, eating an NFL-record $85 million in dead cap space to do so. They drafted Bo Nix with the 12th overall pick, despite him being the sixth quarterback off the board, all so Payton could finally run his system without Wilson holding him back. With his chosen QB in place, it was supposed to be reminiscent of the Saints’ 2007 glory days.

 

 

That’s what we were told, but it hasn’t come close to happening.

The Broncos are now 0-2 after a 13-6 loss to the Steelers on Sunday, but the record isn’t even their biggest issue. The real problem is their offense — or rather, how terrible it has been.

Last week’s struggles could be attributed to playing on the road at Lumen Field, a tough place to win. But there’s no excuse for Sunday’s disaster. Denver’s home opener was a complete mess.

Yes, the Steelers have a strong defense, but the Broncos’ offensive performance was abysmal.

They scored just six points. That’s bad, but it’s only part of the story.

By halftime, Denver had only managed three first downs. They finished with 13, alongside just 295 total yards, 64 of which came on the ground. And as bad as the numbers were, the actual gameplay looked even worse. The Broncos’ offense is painful to watch — it’s like watching paint dry.

Some of that is expected with a rookie quarterback, and growing pains are inevitable. But it shouldn’t be this ugly.

Payton made the call to move on from Wilson, eating the cap hit. He picked Nix, boasting about how smart the decision was. That’s his right as head coach, but it’s also his responsibility if things don’t work out.

And right now, it’s not working. It’s ugly in Denver, and this isn’t just based on two games.

The Broncos’ offense struggled with Wilson, it was terrible with Jarrett Stidham, and now it’s anemic with Nix. That’s a 19-game sample with three different quarterbacks, pointing to one common denominator: Payton.

Since arriving, Payton has talked a lot, but he hasn’t delivered.

He made statements about “anonymous donors,” then spoke too much after a few lattes. He claimed the Broncos were playoff-bound last season, only to watch them fall short on Christmas Eve. He blamed Wilson for the team’s failures and shipped him out, but this offseason has been worse.

Now, the big question is: Is Sean Payton the right coach for this team?

On paper, the easy answer is yes. He’s a Super Bowl-winning coach with an impressive resume. But those accomplishments are from a different era.

Since taking over in Denver, Payton hasn’t proven he’s still capable. From poorly managed timeouts to misjudging his own playbook, he’s made several mistakes. Yet, many gave him a pass, putting the blame on Wilson.

Now, that outlook seems misguided. Wilson wasn’t great in Denver, but he wasn’t the team’s biggest problem. That seems to be Payton. Sunday’s game was clear evidence of that.