Broncos red zone offense clicking during win streak
Bo Nix leads three red zone touchdown drives in win over Raiders
The Broncos red zone offense is finally gaining traction.
They made four trips inside the 20-yard line Sunday against the Raiders at Empower Field. The only drive that didn’t result in a touchdown? Quarterback Bo Nix went into victory formation to kneel out the clock for a 34-18 win.
“We counted three-of-three (red zone efficiency) because we don’t count the kneel down,” coach Sean Payton said on Monday. “We still have to improve on our third-down numbers. I was pleased that we took advantage of the turnovers and the field position.”
The Broncos opened their season with losses to Seattle and Pittsburgh. Their red zone offense followed suit, with one touchdown on seven attempts. It’s no coincidence their production improved over three consecutive wins.
— Against the Raiders, Nix completed touchdown passes to RB Jaleel McLaughlin (four yards) and WR Josh Reynolds (nine yards). Nix also ran in for a score (one yard).
— Against the Jets, on a rain-soaked afternoon in New Jersey, Nix completed an 8-yard touchdown pass to WR Courtland Sutton on their lone trip into the red zone.
— Against the Buccaneers, they twice settled for Wil Lutz field goals in the red zone. But Denver also started the game with consecutive short rushing touchdowns from Nix (three yards) and McLaughlin (one yard).
“When you don’t take sacks inside the red zone and you can run the ball, you’re going to score points,” tight end Adam Trautman said on Monday. “I think those are two things that we’ve done a really good job of so far this year. We’ll just look to build on that.”
The Broncos still rank among the bottom NFL teams (No. 26) in red zone touchdown conversion rate: 43.8%. Their 0-2 start doesn’t help. Denver’s red zone offense also struggled mightily last season behind quarterback Russell Wilson.
But steady improvement over their previous three wins — with a 75% red zone conversion rate — is a sign of progress ahead of Week 6 against the Chargers. Nix delivered touchdowns when the Broncos needed them most.
“I think he’s playing with confidence, and every week his feet make some plays for us that are important,” Payton said. “He’s hard to sack. When he plays, you’re not on the cusp of a minus play. He has real good command of what he’s doing. … I’ll say it again: We have to keep painting a better picture around him.”