The Denver Broncos being 3-2 is not without blemish. This team is 3-2 for the third year in a row, but the 2026 version of this record seems less than ideal, as the team's defense isn't quite as prolific at getting to the quarterback, and the offense legitimately can't do much of anything well.
And while there are other issues at play here, the quarterback seems to almost always be the first one that gets blamed when any offense isn't playing well. That's largely been the case for Bo Nix. Nix certainly hasn't been great, but he' far from the only issue and might not even be in the top-3 issues with that side of the ball.
However, some have wondered if Nix not playing like he usually does is a sign of some sort of mental battle, trying to juggle two ends of a spectrum that can't always go together. On Tuesday, Nix pulled back the curtain a bit and did offer up some clarity on what his biggest battle is right now.
Denver Broncos' QB Bo Nix says he wants to be aggressive, but...
It's a longer quote from Nix, but he talks about wanting to be aggressive but also not wanting to put the ball in harm's way and hurt the team:
Broncos QB Bo Nix: "Honestly, really and truly, the biggest battle right now is like, you want to be aggressive, want to be aggressive, want to be aggressive, and then you see stats and you're like, 'Well, this team is causing the most turnovers in the league,' and then you're… pic.twitter.com/OZ0tIdB7ZZ
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) October 14, 2026
And this really makes a lot of sense - Nix doesn't want to be careless with the football. Given how elite he's always been at avoiding sacks, for his example, his not wanting to put the ball in harm's way lines right up with Nix largely be among the best QBs in the league at limiting the negative plays.
But embracing that mindset too much could lead to what we see now - him not really taking many chances down the field, or scrambling as much as he used to. Ross Tucker, who was on the national broadcast for the Broncos Week 5 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, was talking about how opposing defenses are sitting in 2-high shell on defense ferquently against the Broncos to prevent the explosive passing plays.
Defenses are doing this a lot because the Broncos have not proven to be able to run the ball effectively, so, essentially, opponents are daring Denver to run and working to stop the explosive passing plays, which has created an offense that can't do much of anything.
A huge reason why Nix hasn't been as aggressive is surely due to the looks he's getting from the defense, but there are certainly some open receivers down the field that he's missed here and there.
At times this year, and for much of last year, we did see Nix tick up the aggression late in games when it was absolutely necessary, so this is certainly not an ability issue, but perhaps more of a mental issue at the moment.
There might not be a perfect solution here, but a good place to start is the Broncos actually being able to establish the run, as defenses would have to stack the box with more defenders, which would open up more space on the back end for explosive passes.
Another logical solution would be to actually get Jaylen Waddle the ball more.
Force-feeding him is a good idea and could kickstart the offense as well, as the Broncos to pay a pretty penny to bring him aboard. Fortunately, there is a lot of season left, and the Broncos being 3-2 right now with a solid chance at 4-2 does make you think they can begin to look like their 2025 version here in the coming weeks.
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