Broncos Plummet in On SI & NFL.com Power Rankings Due to Inept Offense

The Denver Broncos have earned bottom-three status in the NFL's power rankings.

Sep 8, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton watches pregame warmups against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Through just two weeks of football, the Denver Broncos are looking like they have for the past eight years: offensively incompetent. The Pittsburgh Steelers rolled into Mile High with Justin Fields, who started at quarterback instead of the much-anticipated return of Russell Wilson, and only had to score 13 points to embarrass Sean Payton’s squad.

Bo Nix and the Broncos offense made everything look harder than it needed to be through eight quarters of football thus far, and much like years past, the defense can’t do it all on its own. With this ugly loss in their home opener, the Broncos slipped down two spots in NFL.com's Week 3 power rankings, putting them in the bottom three of the league.

In Sports Illustrated's On SI power rankings, the Broncos also checked in at No. 30. Mile High Huddle/Denver Broncos On SI publisher Chad Jensen wrote this:

"Well, so much for the Bo Nix era hitting the ground running. Sean Payton hasn't done enough to help his rookie quarterback, and neither has the Broncos' supporting cast. Nix's rookie foibles have only exacerbated and magnified everyone else's complicity. As Payton likes to say, there are a lot of 'dirty hands' in this mess," Jensen wrote.

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On the NFL.com side of things, Eric Edholm also emphasized Denver's offensive ineptitude.

“The Broncos have taken a step back offensively with Bo Nix starting instead of Russell Wilson, which isn't a shocking development after two games. But they've fallen hard in two big categories: red-zone conversion rate and turnovers. Last season, they ranked slightly below average in those areas; this season, they're dead last in both. The identity of this unit feels unknown now. Too often, it feels like they're trying to keep Nix's head above water in the first half before he's forced into scramble mode in the fourth quarter. Denver has lost two close ones, and a few more tough defenses lie in wait to take their crack at Nix. 'We've got to start really looking at who we're asking to do what,' Sean Payton said after the game, and I agree. There were not enough touches for Courtland Sutton or Marvin Mims, and there was not enough patience early with the run game," Edholm wrote.

A rookie quarterback with a terrible cast of skill position players surrounding him is a recipe for disaster, especially against the Steelers' stout defense. Nix made another horrendous decision in the red zone, firing a pass straight to Steelers’ cornerback Cory Trice Jr.

All of the momentum the Broncos had built up on that drive was snuffed out, and they returned to their shell. The way Payton is trying to run his offense isn’t practical with his team's lack of talent.

Denver lacks explosive players at every skill position, making Payton’s love for yards-after-catch plays like screens and swing passes completely ineffective. If this offense is to succeed going forward, Payton has to simplify his play calls and tailor them to the strengths of his current roster because the firepower is simply not there for the Broncos.

Denver is heading back on the road, this time to face the 2-0 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, led by Baker Mayfield. The Tampa defense will prove to be another Mount Everest-type challenge for the Broncos' young quarterback.

Payton would be wise to squash his ego and get out of his own way if he wants his team to get in the win column in 2024. 

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