Broncos, Bo Nix look to find offensive rhythm against woeful Bengals defense

ENGLEWOOD – Sean Payton said Thursday he hopes the Broncos will find their offensive identity “soon.” So, would Monday Night Football against Cincinnati be classified as soon? 

Denver has had offensive issues all season, but perhaps the Bengals could be a cure for that Monday at Empower Field at Mile High. They are ranked No. 26 in the NFL in scoring defense and No. 25 in total defense, and are coming off a 48-10 loss at Minnesota. 

The Broncos, ranked No. 19 in the NFL in total offense, need some help to get their attack going. In their 1-2 start, they’ve struggled on early downs and had issues getting into a rhythm. 

“(There is) an identity relative to running and throwing the ball,’’ Payton, Denver’s third-year coach, said after a practice at Broncos Park. “I would say we’ve yet to establish that clearly for anyone watching or ourselves. So that’s us as coaches.” 

Broncos quarterback Bo Nix said Thursday it “takes about three or four weeks each season” to establish an offensive identity. Well, it’s now Week 4 of the NFL season. 

Nix has gotten off to a difficult start in the first three games, with Denver defeating Tennessee 20-12 in Week 1 before losing on last-play field goals in Week 2 at Indianapolis, 29-28, and in Week 3 at the Los Angeles Chargers, 23-20. He is rated last by Pro Football Focus out of 36 NFL quarterbacks. 

“I think that’s a little bit of our thing is we’re not really catching a rhythm,’’ Nix said. “We’re just kind of hit or miss. As an offense, it’s tough, no matter if you’re trying to run the ball or throw it, you always want to get into a rhythm.” 

Against the Chargers last Sunday, Payton said the Broncos’ average third down was third-and-11. One reason for that has been penalties, with the Broncos having 10 for 90 yards in the game. Payton said penalties were one of the “topics” he emphasized Thursday to players. 

Also plaguing the Broncos has been an inability to mount a consistent running game. Running backs had only 13 carries against the Chargers. And while J.K. Dobbins finished with 11 carries for 83 yards, take away a three-play, third-quarter drive in which he had three carries for 66 yards, he had six attempts for 17 yards. 

Nix completed 14 of 25 passes for 153 yards for a passer rating of 87.6. But while he hit Sutton for a 52-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter on fourth-and-2, he overthrew a pair of deep balls to Marvin Mims Jr. and one to Sutton when they were open. 

“I’m going to miss several throws in the future and probably going to miss a few deep ones,’’ Nix said. “Just got to keep going.”’ 

Payton said Monday that Nix’s overthrows were “like 50th on my to-do list.” He continued Thursday to stand behind his quarterback. 

“You have to be careful (evaluating them) when they’re just off the fingertips,’’ Payton said. “Just keep firing. (Nix) is going to hit plenty of those.”’ 

The second-year quarterback appreciated the confidence Payton has in him. 

“You don’t want to be afraid of failure, don’t want to be afraid of missing,’’ Nix said. “You just go out there and shoot the shot, and we’ll hit them.” 

Denver players have talked often about how Nix is his toughest critic, and it apparently has been business as usual for him this week. 

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) looks to throw against Indianapolis Colts defensive end Tyquan Lewis (94) during the first half an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

“He obviously will watch his film and see what he’s doing wrong and get that stuff corrected to where he’s putting the passes, where they need be,’’ said wide receiver Troy Franklin, who’s been Nix’s teammate the past four seasons, two at Oregon and two with the Broncos. 

Nix said one issue on offense has been the adjustment of new players. 

“We’re still trying to fit them into our scheme, find out where we are as a team,” Nix said. 

Rookie running back RJ Harvey is still trying to find his niche backing up Dobbins. And tight end Evan Engram, a decorated free-agent signee, had four catches for 33 yards in the first two games before sitting out against the Chargers with a back injury. But Engram returned to practice Thursday as a full participant. 

For the season, Nix has thrown for 535 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions, and his passer rating of 83.4 is well below his rookie rating of 93.3. He insisted Thursday that Payton talking him up entering the season did not put any extra pressure on him. Payton predicted Nix would be a top-five NFL quarterback within two years and he talked about the Broncos being a legitimate Super Bowl contender. 

“It’s better than him talking about how tough of a season it’s going be,’’ Nix said. “I’d rather have the confidence (coming from a coach than) a coach that doesn’t really have confidence in us.” 

Nix also expressed appreciation that teammates have “got my back.” Dobbins, for one, was vocal in defending Nix when asked after the Chargers game about his overthrows. 

“We’ve got a lot to clean up, and everybody’s had a good mentality about it,’’ Nix said. 

That includes Nix. Despite some difficult moments, he said he is in “a great spot” mentally through the first three weeks of the season. 

“I feel I’m always going to leave plays out there,’’ he said. “That’s why I’m going to keep stepping back up to the podium and have an answer for them. Ultimately, you want to go out there and hit every single one of them. I’ve yet to actually play a game where I have hit all of them, so I’m working on it. … We’re all looking to find that rhythm and the right spots where we’re playing really good, being really efficient offensively.” 

Facing the Bengals could help in that regard. They are 2-1, but lost star quarterback Joe Burrow in Week 2 with a toe injury that will keep him out about three months. Replacement Jake Browning got his first start of the season in the ugly loss to the Vikings. 

And it is the same porous Cincinnati defense, despite there being a new coordinator in Al Golden. The Bengals, with Burrow, won a 30-24 overtime shootout over Denver in Week 17 last December, but Nix threw for 219 yards and three touchdowns with a passer rating of 114.9.