{"id":647713,"date":"2026-01-02T09:10:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T09:10:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/647713\/"},"modified":"2026-01-02T09:10:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T09:10:17","slug":"broncos-have-gotten-more-from-bo-nix-when-they-needed-it-most","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/647713\/","title":{"rendered":"Broncos have gotten more from Bo Nix when they needed it most"},"content":{"rendered":"

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. \u2014 Broncos offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi has reasons to be pleased with the progress of his side of the ball in recent weeks \u2014 specifically, from after the 10-7 win over the Las Vegas Raiders onward.<\/p>\n

Since Week 11, his offense ranks seventh in the league in EPA (expected points added per play) at 0.096 and fourth in the NFL in success rate, at 48.6 percent.<\/p>\n

In that same span, quarterback Bo Nix ranks ninth among 32 quarterbacks (minimum 100 plays) in EPA per dropback (0.172) and fifth in success rate (50.7 percent), trailing only New England\u2019s Drake Maye, San Francisco\u2019s Brock Purdy, Jacksonville\u2019s Trevor Lawrence and Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think probably since the first Vegas game, really happy with the way Bo has been progressing,\u201d Lombardi said<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re always trying to ascend, and that becomes even more urgent as the playoffs start.\u201d<\/p>\n

In those same categories, Nix was 19th and 31st, respectively, in Weeks 1-10.<\/p>\n

A significant difference in Lombardi\u2019s eyes?<\/p>\n

\u201cI think his patience in the pocket has improved,\u201d Lombarid said. \u201cKeeping in his base, not running early when he doesn\u2019t have to. I think that\u2019s been a big improvement.\u201d<\/p>\n

This, in turn, has helped the offense control the tempo despite the defense\u2019s issues<\/a> and ground game struggling with consistency in the wake of J.K. Dobbins\u2019 Lisfranc injury. In victories at Las Vegas and Kansas City, Nix and the Broncos gobbled up plays and clock; they had three drives of 13 or more plays against the Raiders and four such possessions against the Chiefs.<\/p>\n

Early in the season, Nix might not have been capable of settling in, taking what the soft zones offered and patiently guiding the offense downfield.<\/p>\n

But as in life, where a young quarterback starts a season isn\u2019t where they finish.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe last Vegas game and the Chiefs game, they were really keeping a lid on it and forcing you. I think we had four drives in the Chiefs game that were 13 plays, or even maybe three that were over 15,\u201d Lombardi said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s hard to do, and you have to be really precise as a quarterback to do that. We\u2019d like to be more explosive, but the fact that we\u2019re able to do that I think has been a credit to his progression.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another area in which the Broncos offense has improved is penalties. In their first 10 games \u2014 through the Las Vegas home game \u2014 Denver\u2019s offense averaged 4.0 accepted penalties against it per game. Since then, that average has dropped to 2.2.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like we\u2019ve been decreasing our penalties, which has been a big goal in the second half of the season. I think we\u2019ve been doing better that way,\u201d Lombardi said.<\/p>\n

SO, WHAT\u2019S STILL MISSING FOR THE BRONCOS OFFENSE?<\/p>\n

Avoiding dropped passes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d like to clean up some of the drops,\u201d Lombardi said. \u201c.. Just overall, specifically, the drops were a big thing we\u2019re trying to clean up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Per Sport Radar, Broncos pass-catching targets have dropped 42 passes this season \u2014 10.1 percent of catchable passes, which is the second-worst drop rate in the NFL this season.<\/p>\n

Among players with at least 20 catchable passes, the three worst drop rates on the roster belong to Tyler Badie (one every 5.25 catchable passes), Evan Engram (one every 6.88) and RJ Harvey (one every 8.67). The best drop rates belong to Marvin Mims Jr. (one drop on 36 catchable passes), Troy Franklin (one drop every 17.3) and Courtland Sutton (one every 10.1).<\/p>\n

The Broncos have dropped one of every 9.9 catchable passes this season. The league-wide rate is one drop every 16.3 catchable passes. Just cutting one drop per game would bring the team toward the league average.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s all it will take. One more catch; one less drop. It could make all the difference in completing the Broncos\u2019 picture.<\/p>\n

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