The Denver Broncos’ offense has spent the first half of the season living in the middle of the pack in one area and near the bottom in several others, and the overall picture is not pretty.
By the number that matters most, points, Denver is sitting 18th at 22.0 per game. That is not a collapse compared with last season, when the Broncos finished 14th at 23.6 points per game.
But the efficiency numbers underneath that scoring total show a unit still searching for rhythm. After opening the year 31st in yards per play, Denver has climbed to 26th, producing 4.79 yards per snap.
The league average is 5.32, which leaves the Broncos about half a yard below the standard. Last season, they averaged 5.3 yards per play.
San Francisco leads the league at 6.32, while Philadelphia sits last at 4.29.
The passing game has had its own issues. Denver ranks 23rd in passer rating at 84.7 and 26th in completion percentage.
The Broncos are 22nd in average net yards per pass at 5.7, though they have done a good job protecting the quarterback. They are fourth in sack rate allowed at 3.7%, and only the 49ers have given up fewer sacks overall with eight.
Denver also sits 11th in pressure rate allowed at 20.7%.
Bo Nix’s season has included some volatility, but he has kept the ball out of harm’s way better than many quarterbacks. He is sixth in interception rate at 1.4%.
He also leads the league in yards per scramble at 13.0, helped in part by his 62-yard touchdown run. The Broncos have also been reliable in one area that often gets overlooked: drops.
According to Pro Football Reference, they have the second-fewest dropped passes in the league with eight. Only the 49ers have fewer, with three.
Up front, Denver has been getting the ball out at a decent clip. The Broncos are tied with a group of teams for eighth in average time in the pocket before pressure at 2.4 seconds. The Patriots lead that category at 2.7, while the Commanders and Giants are last at 2.0.
The run game, though, has been a different story. Denver ranks 28th in yards per carry at 3.69, well below the league average of 4.2.
Kansas City leads the NFL at 5.1, while Las Vegas is last at 2.9. The Broncos are also tied for 25th in average yards before contact per carry at 2.2.
Washington leads that stat at 3.1, and the Raiders are again at the bottom at 1.3.
That low ranking appears to be tied mostly to J.K. Dobbins.
The other Broncos running backs have been much better in yards before contact per attempt behind the same offensive line. The source material points to Harvey and Coleman posting 2.6 and 2.4, compared with Dobbins at 1.7.
The numbers get even rougher from there. Denver is 21st in success rate on the ground at 45.8%.
Broncos runners are tied for second-to-last in broken tackles with six, with only the Patriots lower at two. Pittsburgh leads the league with 25 broken tackles by its running backs.
Explosiveness has been hard to come by, too. The Broncos are second to last in runs of 10 yards or more, with just 15 in nine games.
They are tied with Green Bay in that category, and only the Raiders have fewer with 12. Tampa Bay leads the NFL with 38.
For Denver, the second half of the season will have to bring a better version of the run game. The passing attack has been uneven, but the ground game has been the clearest problem.
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Bo Nix Knows This Broncos Bye Could Shape What Comes Next
Bo Nix sees Denvers Week 10 bye as more than just a breather. For a Broncos team that has spent the first stretch of the season grinding through the weekly routine, the pause offers a chance to catch its breath, look back at what has worked and what still needs cleaning up, and start sorting through the bigger picture before the next game arrives.
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