DENVER -- Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton often says there are many "dirty hands" on plays, games and seasons that don't go well. And he had a clear message after the 13-6 defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday in Empower Field at Mile High -- one in which he shouldered much of the blame.
"Look, I just finished telling the offensive coaches, that side of the ball needs to get cleaned up and that starts with me," Payton said. "We've got to start really looking at who we're asking to do what. ... Are we putting our guys in the best position? We're rotating a lot of personnel groups in and out, and I don't know if that's helping us, honestly. We just need to evaluate that closely."
The Broncos (0-2) have scored 26 points in two games -- four of those coming from the defense. Their two top running backs are averaging a combined 2.3 yards per carry, and rookie quarterback Bo Nix has thrown more red zone interceptions (two) than the Broncos have touchdowns (one).
Nix also has that lone touchdown -- a 4-yard run late in the opening week loss to the Seattle Seahawks -- as the Broncos are now 1-of-7 on converting red zone drives into touchdowns. Those results have prompted Payton to say that he'll take a long look at what the coaching staff is asking Nix and other offensive players to do.
"What scheme fits our players? What scheme fits our quarterback?" Payton said, relaying his internal thought process after the first two games.
Few things illustrate the growing disconnect more than Denver's lack of a running game. Payton has repeatedly said it is vital the Broncos run the ball with intent and efficiency to help Nix through the usual rookie quarterback growing pains.
Yet after two games, Nix leads the team with 60 rushing yards, mostly on scrambles to escape trouble in the pocket. That's 20 more than lead back Javonte Williams , who has averaged only 2.1 yards per carry. Third-down back Jaleel McLaughlin is averaging 2.5 yards per rush.
More troubling than the lack of rushing success is the lack of commitment to establish the run. In a game where the Broncos' defense shut down the Steelers after an opening touchdown drive and kept the game in reasonable striking distance, Payton essentially stopped calling run plays. This contradicted his talk in the days leading into the game, in which Payton said establishing the run was one of the most important factors to securing a victory.
The Broncos had seven rushing attempts in the first half Sunday and didn't have their 10th rushing attempt until there was less than nine minutes left in the third quarter. They finished the game with 35 Nix passes to 19 runs (four of them by the quarterback), along with two Steelers sacks of Nix. The Broncos' loss to Seattle in the opener saw a similar imbalance, as Nix had 51 dropbacks in the game -- including two plays ruled as rushes because they were ruled backward passes by Nix -- compared to 20 called runs.
"We went into the game kind of expecting a low-scoring game," Payton said of Sunday's loss to Pittsburgh. "We felt it was going to be very important for us to be patient with the run game and play field position."
When asked about the seven first-half rushing attempts when the stated goal entering the game was to be patient, Payton added: "How many snaps at the half? 20? So seven of 20. We just got to keep looking at it and that's starts with me, I'm calling the plays."
For his part, Nix said after Sunday's loss that he remains confident in what he can do despite his individual struggles and the offense's scuffling. But he hasn't been able to compensate for his own mistakes, the biggest of which came midway through the third quarter Sunday.
A 26-yard completion to Courtland Sutton and a 49-yard completion to Josh Reynolds on a trick play where Nix initially lined up out wide in the formation got the Broncos to the Steelers' 7-yard line. Down 10-0, the Broncos found themselves in a second-and-goal situation from the Steelers' 6 after a 1-yard run by Williams. Payton eschewed another run play and put Nix in the shotgun. Under pressure from the Steelers' front, Nix threw a somewhat sidearm lob off his back foot into the end zone, which Steelers cornerback Cory Trice Jr . intercepted. It ended up being the only drive in which the Broncos advanced inside the Pittsburgh 10-yard line.
"There was some dirty hands on that play," Payton said.
"That falls on me," Nix said. "That was just a bad decision. [You] can't have that."
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