Bo Nix critical of Broncos struggling offense after uninspiring 'TNF' win

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix has seen enough of his underperforming offense.

Despite opening Week 10 with a win on "Thursday Night Football" to improve to 8-2, the Broncos have little to be satisfied with following their offensive effort. Denver won in spite of its offense, defeating the hapless Las Vegas Raiders, 10-7.

Nix, who deserves a significant portion of the offense's failings, was critical of the unit, telling reporters, "We have to do better. At some point, 10 points isn't going to be enough. We have to score more."

Bo Nix's comments highlight growing frustration with Broncos' offense

Through 10 games, the Broncos are No. 17 in scoring (23.5 points per game) and have been held under 20 points in three of their past five games. The offense has routinely gotten off to slow starts, needing big fourth-quarter rallies in wins against the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants and Houston Texans.

Denver is fortunate to have one of the league's top defenses; otherwise, it would have no shot at competing in the AFC. The Broncos are No. 3 in scoring defense (17.3 points per game) and No. 2 in total defense (270.7 yards per game), but as Nix noted, they can't expect to win playoff games the way the offense has looked.

To his credit, Nix addressed his own struggles head-on with reporters following Thursday's win, saying, "It starts with me. I have to be better. Then the rest of the guys will follow along."

This season, Nix is completing just 60.9 percent of his pass attempts, the fifth-lowest rate among qualifying passers, ahead of only Michael Penix Jr. (60.8 percent), Dillon Gabriel (59.9 percent), Trevor Lawrence (59.7 percent) and Cam Ward (57.6 percent).

That isn't good enough in head coach Sean Payton's offensive schemes. His explosive offenses as New Orleans Saints head coach (2006-2021) were predicated on an efficient passing attack, with quarterback Drew Brees completing 68.8 percent of his attempts in 15 seasons, including six with a completion rate north of 70 percent.

Payton's offenses aren't nearly as threatening without an accurate quarterback. In his last season with the Saints, for example, New Orleans quarterbacks completed 58.1 percent of their pass attempts, ranking No. 19 in scoring offense and No. 28 in total offense.

Until Nix's timing and accuracy improve, the Broncos must rely heavily on their defense to remain atop the AFC West and in Super Bowl contention. The unit has been up to the task so far, but it's fair to wonder how much more it can handle before it breaks.