Is the Broncos offense ready to do its part?
Denver has been the best team in the AFC largely because its defense has made life difficult for most opponents. No team was better at stifling opponents in the red zone, and the Broncos also set a franchise record with 68 sacks. Of all the teams that qualified for the postseason, Denver was one of the four with a defense that could carry it to a championship (along with Seattle, Philadelphia and Houston). The Broncos offense unfortunately does not inspire the same confidence, with the questions starting with second-year quarterback Bo Nix. He’s developed a reputation for being wildly inconsistent, as he can look awful for two or three quarters before producing clutch play after clutch play when the outcome hangs in the balance. In fact, one of the crazier statistics of this year is that Nix led the league with 612 passing attempts despite ranking 26th in the league with an 87.8 passer rating. It’s also apparent that he’ll have to keep throwing it often because Denver’s running game hasn’t been the same since a season-ending injury to J.K. Dobbins in Week 10. Rookie RJ Harvey is solid — he’s rushed for 540 yards and seven touchdowns — but Dobbins was a bigger, more physical presence in the backfield.
This all leads toward a question that is worth posing: What happens if Denver’s defense has an off day in the Divisional Round against the Buffalo Bills and Nix is leading a one-dimensional offense? The Broncos have shown they can handle adverse situations, as they’re 11-2 in one-score games this season. They also thrive in third-down situations (ranking 11th in the league in conversions), and head coach Sean Payton has knack for dialing up the right plays at critical moments for receivers like Courtland Sutton, Troy Franklin and tight end Evan Engram. However, we’ve also seen what an off day can look like for the Broncos, as they suffered a 34-20 loss to Jacksonville in Week 16. That defeat revealed that Denver can be vulnerable even with home-field advantage. The Broncos will be even more susceptible if Nix and his offensive mates can’t do more damage for an entire game.