The way the Denver Broncos are talked about — by their fans and the media —one might think this is a team with a losing record. Maybe even one of the worst teams in the NFL.
The truth is, the Broncos are 4-2, and in their first 6 games, 5 were against likely playoff teams. Their next six games feature 3 teams with losing records and two more teams who are only one game above .500.
That stretch starts in Week 7 against the lowly Arizona Cardinals — a game between one of the NFL’s worst franchises and one of its best.
Not everyone looks at it like that, however.
“Who is even going to play quarterback for the Broncos? I’ve watched every week of football this year and there’s no difference between the Cardinals and the Broncos,” The Ringer’s Bill Simmons said on Sunday night. “They’re just two non-playoff teams.”
Broncos Problems Center Around One Player
The Denver Broncos’ problems seem to center on one player — 3rd-year quarterback Bo Nix.
Nix’s struggles this season have been one of the NFL’s biggest talking points, and he’s drawn fire from every corner of the industry — just not from his own team.
Denver head coach Sean Payton gave a resounding answer to whether he was considering a quarterback change after Nix’s miserable performance in a 17-14 win over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 6.
“I said this a week ago, to answer your question, no,” Payton said on Monday.
One thing that seems lost in the conversation around Nix is that he’s returning from a serious injury — a fractured ankle suffered in the AFC Divisional Round that required two surgeries to fix.
Nix Called Out as ‘Disinterested and Checked Out’
Sometimes it really be your own people.
Former NFL quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick got things going with his rant about Nix following the win over the Seahawks, where he now-famously said Nix was “disrespectful” to the quarterback position by how he played.
Ex-Broncos quarterback Ben DiNucci threw more gasoline on the fire the next day.
“About time someone said it Bo looks disinterested, checked out, and like there are 500 places he would rather be than on a football field every week,” DiNucci wrote on his official X account on Friday morning. “I am a fan of the Broncos and wish them the best but I would rather watch paint dry right now than their offense play football.”
DiNucci backed off his comments later that same day.
“I put out a tweet this morning about Bo and the state of the Broncos offense I deleted that tweet … call me whatever you want idc it doesn’t bother me I was speaking on things that I don’t know to be true and I get that’s part of my job now being in the media but it felt like I was doing a disservice to Bo and guys in that locker room who were my teammates QB is the most scrutinized position in all of sports and takes a certain type of individual to be able to go out there week in and week out and ignore the noise and play ball Bo is a winner , competitor , and leader of that team,” DiNucci wrote. “Sure — he isn’t playing up to his standards right now and he will be the first one to tell you that but he doesn’t need former teammates and people who played the position speculating on what he’s going through / seeing.”
Broncos Called ‘Non-Playoff Team’ After Early-Season Struggles