Through four weeks of the 2026 NFL Season, it's clear that the only thing the Denver Broncos do well on offense is nothing. Something has to change, but if you want to be an optimist here, them being 2-2 despite playing four top-10 scoring defenses is notable.
The Broncos have simply seen a gauntlet of opposing defenses this year. Things are going to lighten up in the coming weeks, as their October 15th game against the Seattle Seahawks is the last of the six-game stretch that was talked about quite a bit before the season.
If Denver does not get something sustainable going on offense, the entire season is going to be thrown off the tracks. Well, I did some digging, and getting the offense going, or Bo Nix, specifically, is not quite as complicated as you might think.
Denver Broncos' QB Bo Nix is much more efficient when he has a reliable run game
There have been 25 regular season instances of the Nix-era Broncos rushing for at least 100 yards in a game. Here are Nix's stats during those 25 instances:
17-8
562/854
5,570 yards
47 total touchdowns
14 interceptions
93.8 passer rating
The Broncos had 12 instances each in the 2024 and 2025 seasons of at least 100 rushing yards, and have one instance this year of at least 100 rushing yards. The Broncos have won 68 percent of their starts since 2024 when they rush for at least 100 yards. Nix has starte 38 games in the NFL, so there are a total of 13 instances of the team not hitting this yardage mark. Denver is 9-4 in those games, which is actually a higher winning percentage.
That might seem really odd, but the main idea here is that Nix is statistically more productive and is putting up franchise numbers when he has an efficient run game behind him. If we take this 25-game production from Nix and average it out over a 17-game season for some better perspective, this is what his production would look like:
12-5
382/581
3,788 yards
32 total touchdowns
10 interceptions
Nix had 40 passing touchdowns in those 25 games, specifically, which averages out to 27 touchdown passes over a 17-game season. The sad part in 2026 is that the team clearly is incapable of getting the run game going, and while it may seem easy to us, it's anything but for this offense. I can't pretend to have all the answers, but missed assignments by the offensive line and underperforming running back personnel are likely the two main reasons why the team can't run the ball.
But this also does not mean the rushing inefficiency will continue, either. The defensive schedule lightens up for the Broncos in the coming weeks, so that should help J.K. Dobbins and Co. begin to put something together. Rookie RB Jonah Coleman can also come off of IR on October 25th against the Arizona Cardinals, which should also help.
Nix is also not alone in this - and when you look across the NFL, some of the league's best quarterbacks conveniently have a really strong run game. James Cook makes life a lot easier for Josh Allen. Kenneth Walker III is a brand-new signing for the Kansas City Chiefs that has already paid off.
Christian McCaffrey, one of the best RBs of this generation, is surely making life easier for Brock Purdy. Derrick Henry, a future Hall of Fame RB, absolutely takes some pressure off Lamar Jackson's shoulders.
The 'thing' here with being able to run the ball is that it forces defenses to respect the run and stack the box with more defenders. This, in general terms, leaves the defensive secondary more susceptible to giving up passing yardage more frequently. It seems like the Broncos opponents are almost daring Denver to run the ball and selling out to stop the pass. And, well, the team still can't run the ball...
Just because you may think Nix needs to play better, which isn't untrue, doesn't mean there aren't other problems on offense. Even teams with the league's best passers all recognize that an efficient run game is a part of this mix.
The key to unlocking Nix, which is not a shocking development, is to field a solid run game. The data proves it.
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