Bo Nix has spent the first three games of the season under constant heat, and the numbers show just how much the Broncos quarterback is being forced to deal with life on the move.
The bigger issue for Denver’s offense isn’t just the slow starts or the uneven play-calling. It’s that opposing defenses are getting to Nix early and often. According to TruMedia, he has been pressured on 43 percent of his dropbacks so far this season, as Nick Kosmider noted in a piece for The Athletic.
When that pressure arrives, the results have been brutal. Through three weeks, Nix ranks last among 32 qualified quarterbacks in EPA per dropback when pressured at -0.99, per Next Gen Stats. In those situations, he has completed 9 of 27 passes for 65 yards, with no touchdowns and two interceptions.
The blitz has been a problem too. Defenses have sent extra rushers at Denver on 33 percent of Nix’s dropbacks this season, the sixth-highest rate in the league.
That’s a sharp contrast from last season, when teams blitzed the Broncos on 20.6 percent of Nix’s dropbacks, the fifth-lowest rate in the NFL. This year, those blitzes are also turning into pressure more often, with opponents creating pressure on 48.5 percent of blitz attempts compared with 42 percent last season.
Sean Payton has pointed to aggressive defensive play-callers as part of the issue, but he said he isn’t ready to make any final judgments yet. Denver has also been trying to speed up Nix’s processing. Still, Nix said there have rarely been free rushers and that the Broncos have done a great job in blitz pickup.
One thing that has not shown up much is Nix’s scrambling. That was a tool he used to help beat pressure, and it may be tied to his ankle. He has only one scramble for three yards, and he has gone back-to-back games without a scramble rush for the first time in his career.
The sacks have not piled up from the blitz looks, but that fits with the larger picture from last season as well. Payton’s offense is built to avoid sacks whenever possible, and that approach has clearly been part of Nix’s mental clock. Even so, Denver still hasn’t found the right mix of answers.
In Other News...
Broncos Defense Is Flipping A Costly Trend From Last Season
Through three games in the Sean Payton era, the Broncos have found something on defense that was missing too often a year ago: takeaways. Denver has forced a turnover in every game so far, with four interceptions already, the most in the league, and that ball-hawking stretch has helped hold opposing passers to a 74.3 rating.
It is a meaningful shift for a unit trying to set the tone while the offense settles in, especially after last seasons struggles to generate interceptions and consistent disruption. The record sits at 2-1, but the more encouraging sign for Denver may be that this defense is starting to flip a costly trend rather than simply survive around it. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Injury Concerns Could Open A Big Door For Denver
The Broncos are heading into Week 4 in a much better place health-wise than a lot of teams around the league, and that matters against a 49ers group carrying more concern than comfort. Denver has only a few notable injury questions of its own, with rookie running back Jonah Coleman on injured reserve and expected back in Week 7, while players like Mims are working back into the mix and others such as Tillman may still be unavailable.
San Francisco, meanwhile, is dealing with a longer injury list and some significant names on it, including Bosa, whose calf injury is expected to keep him out for several games. For Denver, that kind of uncertainty on the other sideline can change the shape of a matchup quickly, especially if the Broncos are able to take advantage of a thinner pass rush and force the 49ers to adjust on the fly. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Face An Early Playoff Swing Game In Week 4
The Broncos have spent the first three weeks of the 2026 season giving Sean Payton his best September start in Denver, and now they arrive at a familiar kind of early-season pressure point. At 2-1, they have already put themselves in a better spot than theyve been in at this stage under Payton, but Week 4 now carries the feel of a swing game before the schedule gets any deeper and more complicated.
Historical results from 2020 through 2025 suggest why the stakes feel so sharp: a 3-1 start has lined up with a much stronger path to the playoffs, while sliding to 2-2 has dragged that outlook down sharply. Those are only past trends, not official odds, but they underline what Denver is chasing this week - not just a strong record, but a record that can keep the Broncos in the kind of position that matters when the standings start to tighten. [Read more 🡒]