3 problems the Broncos need to fix before Week 2 game against Steelers

The Denver Broncos took a loss in Week 1 of the 2024 NFL Season and have a few things to fix before their Week 2 contest. It's nice that the Denver Broncos are home in Week 2, as they'll have a better chance to get back on track after a Week 1 loss.

The Broncos are far from a perfect team and do have some issues that need to get cleaned up. To be fair to this current coaching staff, they did clean things up in a huge way in 2023 after an abysmal 1-5 start. I trust that this staff knows how to correct things, so even if the Broncos don't play excellent football against the Pittsburgh Steelers, they'll put a better product on the field.

3 problems the Broncos need to fix before Week 2 game against Steelers
Broncos must find more rhythm on offense

This was a problem, as they had just 20 carries to their running backs, so Bo Nix ended up with more than 40 passing attempts in his first NFL game. Nix did complete over 60% of those passes, so it's not like he wasn't accurate at times. However, this is not a winning formula for the Denver Broncos, as they are built to run the ball.

Sean Payton's play-calling also felt a bit weak at times, as it felt like he was truly trying to force some things that did not need forced. As the Broncos prepare for their Week 2 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Payton and the Broncos offense must have a more even split with running and throwing the ball, period.

This would allow Bo Nix to ease into the offense more, as we could see the young rookie make noticeable improvements in his second NFL game.

Broncos must prioritize stopping the run early

The team did have an easy time stopping the Seattle Seahawks defense entirely in Week 1. However, Seattle clearly made an effort to run the rock in the second half, and the Broncos were not able to stop it. The situation is a bit different when the Steelers come to town, as Justin Fields is a below-average passer and is not going to win the game with his arm

In fact, he did not throw the ball in the middle of the field in their Week 1 victory against the Atlanta Falcons, and it's clear that with Fields, the Steelers hope to run the ball and keep it out of harm's way. Well, if Denver succeeds at stopping the run early in Week 2, it may force Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith to abandon the gameplan a bit and put the ball in Fields' hands.

Making the QB throw the ball is how Denver wins this game. The Steelers are a three-headed monster on the ground with Fields, Jaylen Warren, and Najee Harris, but nothing is stopping them from neutralizing what the Steelers do well.

Broncos must make WR Troy Franklin active

The wide receiver room is a huge problem after Week 1, but Denver does have a young and fast rookie at the position. They must amake Troy Franklin active in Week 2. None of the active WRs on the active roster for Week 1 was able to gain any sort of legitimate separation, and it was Josh Reynolds who led the team in yards with 45.

The worst-case scenario here is that Franklin struggles to gain separation himself and ends up not being ready quite yet for NFL action. That's fine, as he's just 21 years old and probably has a lot of fine-tuning to do. This was somewhat seen as a redshirt year for Franklin, but he may have to get a chance early to help out the slow Broncos WR room.