The Broncos escaped Week 5 with a win over the hapless Los Angeles Chargers, but the bigger story in Denver is the same one that has followed Bo Nix for much of this season: he just doesn’t look like himself.
That’s the concern now, more than any single throw or stat line. Nix has played like a quarterback missing the one trait he usually carries with him no matter what’s happening around him - confidence. Denver sits at 3-2, with a short week ahead and the Seattle Seahawks coming to town, and the Broncos need that version of Nix back fast.
The offense has been messy across the board. Pass protection has been shaky, especially up the middle.
Receivers have dropped passes. Sean Payton had seen enough after four weeks with Davis Webb calling the plays and took back control himself.
Plenty is going wrong.
But Nix has still been the most alarming part of it all.
He looks hesitant pushing the ball downfield. Some of that comes from the way defenses are playing Denver and some of it comes from the protection in front of him, but the bigger issue is that he doesn’t seem to trust what he’s seeing. The Broncos have no real downfield passing game right now, and that’s hard to ignore.
The lack of run-game production from Nix makes it worse. Through five games, he has just 35 rushing yards. That’s a sharp departure from what Denver had grown used to seeing from him in his first two NFL seasons, when his legs were a reliable part of the offense.
So right now, the Broncos aren’t getting the downfield throws. They aren’t getting the scrambles.
And even if Nix is keeping his energy up on the sideline, the edge that used to show up in his game is missing. Denver has still found three wins in its first five, but Nix has looked like a shadow of the player he was.
Sean Payton made that point after the game, talking about wanting Nix to go out there and “let it rip” and saying he wants to build Nix’s confidence. That’s not usually the language you want surrounding a third-year starting quarterback, but it speaks to where things stand.
Still, there’s a reason the Broncos haven’t closed the book on him.
Nix has a track record of starting all three of his NFL seasons slowly before finding his footing. Each time, he’s eventually settled in, turned things around, and started to play the way Denver knows he can. And the Broncos have lived through enough uneven stretches to understand that this offense is at its best when Nix is the one driving it.
For all the mistakes and all the inconsistency, he’s been the player who has lifted the whole operation at key moments. Denver needs that again. Right now, the offense feels out of sync to the point that it would be a relief just to see a clean slant completed.
There is reason for belief, though, and it comes from what Nix has already shown. Not long ago, in the final game of the 2025-26 season, he turned in what may have been his best outing as a pro, torching the #1-ranked Buffalo Bills pass defense and battling Josh Allen in the postseason.
That game is still in the bank. The Broncos need the quarterback who played like that to show up again.
In Other News...
Broncos Starter Hit With Another Fine And Fans Will Have Opinions
Quinn Meinerz keeps finding himself on the league offices radar, and this latest issue has nothing to do with what he does between the lines. After already getting dinged earlier this season for his dice-rolling touchdown celebration, the Broncos guard has drawn another punishment, this time tied to a social media video that crossed a line with NFL policy.
The situation has an extra layer because the post centered on the drug-test collection process, a subject the league treats seriously even when a player may not have meant any harm. Meinerz is appealing the fine, so this one is not necessarily finished yet, and it adds another small off-field distraction for a Broncos team that is trying to keep its focus on the field after its Week 3 win over the Rams. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Defense Awaits A Big Week 5 Call On Ladd McConkey
The Broncos may get a break on the injury front in Week 5, with Chargers receiver Ladd McConkey showing up on Los Angeles injury report as the division matchup approaches. McConkey has been one of the more productive pieces of the Chargers passing game through four weeks, with 12 catches for 183 yards and a touchdown, so his status matters plenty to Denvers defense as it prepares for a familiar AFC West test.
McConkey is dealing with multiple injuries, and the early read is that he is likely to miss the game, which would force the Chargers to reshuffle targets in a meaningful spot. If he is sidelined, Los Angeles will be asking other pass catchers to pick up the slack, and Denver will be watching to see whether the offense can maintain its rhythm without one of its steadier options. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Can Exploit A Chargers Weakness That Could Swing This Game
The Broncos head into their matchup with the Chargers looking for a place to press an edge in what figures to be a tight division game, and the middle of the field may offer it. Los Angeles has had to sort through protection issues up front, with guard Oday Aboushi struggling, while Asante Samuel Jr. remains the kind of versatile defender who can complicate easy throws. Even so, Denvers defense will be alert to the Chargers tight-end usage, especially with Jared Gadsden emerging as a meaningful piece in the passing game despite a still-unclear role.
From Denvers side, the more intriguing opportunity may come when the Broncos have the ball and test where the Chargers are least settled defensively. Injuries have thinned that group enough to make linebacker Justin Phillips a potential coverage target, and that sort of matchup can tilt a game if Denver isolates it well. Whether the Broncos lean on RJ Harvey, Evan Engram or another option, this is the kind of wrinkle that could decide which sideline is left looking for answers late. [Read more 🡒]