3 Reasons Broncos Look Dangerous—and 3 Lingering Concerns

A 28-yard punt return by Kolbe Katsis set up the Broncos' first points of the game, followed by a Pat Bryant touchdown and a strong Bo Nix throw to Jaylen Waddle for two points. The Broncos would later get another touchdown with a two-point conversion to tie the game.

Despite an untimely interception by Nix, the Broncos got a big play from Talanoa Hufanga, who produced a pick-six to give Denver the lead. Even after the Rams quickly scored, the Broncos made plays, took advantage of the Rams' mistakes to score, and Hufanga picked off a pass in the end zone on the final play of the game to seal the win.

It's good to see the Broncos show resilience and fight even when they are down by a significant margin.

Broncos Need to Do Better in the First Half

However, the Broncos might not have found themselves in that situation if they had played better in the first half. Against the Rams, the Broncos were shut out in that half for the first time this season, but they haven't done much better in prior weeks.

The most first-half points the Broncos have scored came against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1 — a game in which Denver played poorly overall. Against the Jacksonville Jaguars, they scored just three points in the first half and needed a fourth-quarter comeback to get the win.

It's good that the Broncos play with urgency in the second half, but they need to do the same in the first half. It would help to do a better job of running the football early, as they are averaging just 3.6 yards per carry, with RJ Harvey the only back exceeding four yards per carry.

Bo Nix Comes Through in the Clutch

It seems Nix saves his best play for the second half, coming up with a clutch throw to keep a drive alive or to score points. We already mentioned his throw to Waddle for that two-point conversion, which might have been the best throw of his NFL career.

But Nix did well finding Bryant on the first touchdown the Broncos got against the Rams. Nix may have checked down quite a bit, but he took what the Rams gave him, and he got past an interception in the fourth quarter to put together a good drive for the final go-ahead score.

When the Broncos have needed Nix the most, he has come through more often than not. That leadership is what the Broncos need to ensure success.

Nix Needs to Be More Consistent Throughout the Game

It's good to see Nix come through in crunch time, but it shouldn't always have to be in the clutch. There are times when Nix tries to force plays when he doesn't have to, and he's fortunate it hasn't cost him.

The interception Nix threw against the Rams resulted from his arm being hit as he threw, but he had two near-picks, one in which he had first and 10 and good field position, but tried to force a ball to Courtland Sutton, who had to leap to break up a possible interception.

While more production from the run game would help, Nix needs to make better decisions early in the game, especially to realize that it's okay to throw the ball away in certain situations. If he tries too hard to create something out of nothing, it can prove costly.

Defense Can Still Turn Up the Pressure

While the Broncos are without edge rusher Jonathon Cooper, who is on the commissioner's exempt list , and they arguably haven't found the guy to replace John Franklin-Myers, the defense has shown it can still create a lot of pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

Through three games, the Broncos have eight sacks and 26 quarterback hits. Against the Rams, they hit quarterback Matthew Stafford 14 times, and four different players sacked him — one of the reasons the Broncos were able to stay in the game this week.

It was the best performance yet from the defense overall and a sign that they have the players who can still disrupt the passing game, even against a good offensive line like the Rams have.

Defense Needs to Do More to Get Off the Field

While it was good to see the defensive pressure come through against the Rams, the Broncos also showed they have some work to do to end drives more often.

It's asking too much to force a team like the Rams into repeated three-and-outs, but the main issue the Broncos had was not doing enough to get the opponent off the field in third-and-long situations.

A case in point was the Rams' first drive in the second half, in which they faced third-and-long three times but converted, once on a Riley Moss pass interference penalty and twice on completions by Stafford.

It's one thing to give up a conversion on 3rd-and-1 against a good team, but when the Broncos' defense has good teams in third-and-long, they can't let them keep converting. They must find ways to force a punt in those situations to give the offense more opportunities to drive.

The Takeaway

The Broncos have the talent to be a top team, but they need more consistency throughout the game, rather than taking until the second half to find their groove.

Again, improving the run game would help, but the Broncos' defense needs to force more punts, and Nix needs to show as much poise in the first half when it's early in the game as he does when the chips are down.

The Broncos still have some tough matchups approaching, as the 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, and Chiefs all await in the first half of the season, plus the Arizona Cardinals have shown to be better than some may have expected, and the 0-3 Los Angeles Chargers can't be counted out, especially given how the Broncos have yet to beat Jim Harbaugh's team when Justin Herbert is on the field.

But if the Broncos can get off to better starts and be more consistent, they could put themselves well above the .500 mark after eight games and show they can be a serious threat in the playoffs.