Renck: Pressure makes diamonds. It also bursts pipes and bubbles. For all the hype around the Broncos, the new offense looked a lot like the old one. Eleven players caught passes. And that’s not a good thing. The running backs, for a large swath of the game, went forgotten. The Broncos threw too much. Bo Nix was in the middle of the mess. He played one of the worst games of his career, turning the ball over three times, including losing his first fumble since his third year in college. Watching Nix, it raised the question: Is the pressure of expectations making Bo play tight?
Keeler: There’s no Super Bowl without a Super Bo. And all this Super Bowl talk from Sean Payton looks as if it’s weighing Nix down right now. That’s on Sunshine Sean. I saw something against the Titans I thought I’d never see in person in 2025: No. 10, whose vision saved so many drives last year, actually running into a sack. Nix is an Intel processor on two legs, but there are times when it looks as if his wires are crossed right now. Good news? He’s young enough that all things are fixable. But if you fry those circuits, as we’ve learned around here, it can take years to find another part.
Renck: Drew Brees said recently on a podcast that Sean Payton’s offense is as complicated as the players can handle. Mentally, Nix is a sponge. But Sunday provided an example of how Payton is too rigid, making Nix do too much heavy lifting. As the opening drive stalled, Nix lost his rhythm. Between getting out of the huddle late and the endless line changes that would make Jared Bednar jealous, it complicated things for the second-year quarterback. He can handle a lot on his plate. But Payton needs to be less stubborn. At times, it feels like he’s trying to prove a point that he can win with Nix, most notably when he went for it on fourth-and-8 with 1:05 remaining. Make it easy for the kid. If the game calls for it, let him hand off the rock and lean into the defense.
Keeler: I had some Shedeur Sanders flashbacks at the end of Week 1, and not in a good way. Payton always does things with a purpose, and it felt Sunday as if that purpose was “We’re not leaving this field until I’ve saved my reputation as a passing guru.” Which is how you get that fourth-down call in a one-score game, which was mental — even if it works, what are you doing? Tennessee wasn’t driving on Vance Joseph’s defense, now you’re getting cute for cute’s sake when the correct answer was to burn clock, shake hands and get back to the locker room. Boggles the mind, sometimes. It really does.
Renck: Payton must be mindful of the weapons around Nix. When you open a game throwing 17 times in the first 21 plays, you’d think he was working with Michael Thomas, Jimmy Graham and Alvin Kamara. Alas, that is not the case. The Broncos don’t have a true No. 2 option — man, Emeka Egbuka would look good in this offense — behind Courtland Sutton, and now Evan Engram is hurt. Nix doesn’t lack confidence, but Payton needs to support him by asking less of him.
Keeler: I remember Nix air-mailing some wide-open guys last year. I don’t recall him often throwing at a hot read’s ankles before that hot read had even turned around, as he did to Tyler Badie in the first half. Your tailbacks and your offensive line are good enough to be your base. You don’t have to pass to set up this run game. The best coaches adapt to what they have, admit when they’re wrong and course-correct. It feels as if Payton is sometimes squeezing the 2025 Broncos into the 2017 Saints’ old cleats. If the shoe doesn’t fit, you must submit.
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Originally Published: September 8, 2025 at 12:17 PM MDT