Broncos season in review: Denver’s offense made strides under QB Bo Nix but lacked consistency in run game

In Denver’s second season with coach Sean Payton as the play caller, the offense made strides but there’s still more work to be done. Here’s a look back at the Broncos’ offensive production during the 2024 season:

Five key offensive numbers

25: Points per game (No. 10 in the NFL)

324.6: Total yards per game (No. 19)

24: Sacks taken by Bo Nix (No. 4)

6: Games with at least 30 points scored.

4: Games with at least 400 total yards.

High Point

Denver’s Week 5 win over Las Vegas will be remembered for the shouting match between Nix and Sean Payton. It was also the afternoon Nix became the guy. He threw for 206 yards and two touchdowns to snap the Broncos’ eight-game losing streak to the Raiders. Nix was 9 for 11 with 101 yards and three total touchdowns in the second half. He was a perfect 5 for 5 for 54 yards and two scores in the fourth quarter. From that point, Nix threw for 2,909 yards, 26 touchdowns and eight picks in the final 12 games of the regular season.

Nix had nine games with at least 200 passing yards and two touchdowns, including a 307-yard, four-touchdown performance against the Falcons in Week 11.

Low Point

Nix dealt with his fair share of growing pains early on. In his first two games, he threw for 384 yards, no touchdowns and four interceptions. He also completed 59.7% of his pass attempts and had a passer rating of 51. Denver’s Week 2 loss against Pittsburgh was its worst offensive performance of the season. Nix threw a pair of picks while the Broncos totaled just 64 yards on the ground.

Denver’s offensive numbers in 2023 vs. 2024

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MVP: Quinn Meinerz. Denver’s starting right guard established himself as one of the best players at his position. He was named first-team All-Pro after giving up a sack, 23 pressures and a pressure rate of 3.6% in 17 games, according to NFL’s Next Gen Stats. Meinerz, Garett Bolles and Luke Wattenberg allowed the lowest pressure rates at right guard, left tackle and center in the league, respectively, per Next Gen Stats.

Tough Season: Javonte Williams. Two years removed from a torn ACL, Williams — an unrestricted free agent — still didn’t look like the running back who ran defenders over as a rookie. Williams had 139 carries for 513 yards. He had 12 games with fewer than 30 yards, including four with 1 yard or less. In Denver’s wild-card round loss to the Bills, Williams only had seven carries for 29 yards. The former North Carolina standout had his moments, including an 88-yard and two-touchdown performance against the Saints in Week 7. But overall, it was a disappointing year.

Under the radar: Devaughn Vele. Denver’s rookie wide receiver has a bright future ahead of him. The 26-year-old caught 41 passes for 475 yards and three touchdowns in 13 games (seven starts). Nix had a passer rating of 118.4 when targeting the seventh-round pick, who was a solid third-down target. He recorded 139 yards and a touchdown on 12 catches in third-down situations, according to NFL’s Next Gen Stats.

Broncos’ starting offensive linemen vs. pressure

Source: NFL’s Next Gen Stats

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Run offense

Five Key Numbers

430: Nix’s rushing yard total — eighth among quarterbacks.

3.7: Yards per carry for Williams.

34: Consecutive regular-season games without a 100-yard rusher.

12: Denver’s rushing touchdown total (No. 23)

54: Rushing attempts for 10-plus yards (No. 14)

The Good

Nix proved to be a better runner than expected. He was Denver’s rushing leader in six games, including Denver’s matchup against the Bills when he totaled four carries for 43 yards. He had 16 rushing attempts of at least 10 yards — tied for most on the team. He led the Broncos with 41 rushing attempts that resulted in a first down .

Nix’s rushing ability allowed him to escape pressure when necessary. He recorded 365 yards on scrambles, according to Next Gen Stats. Moving forward, Denver could take advantage of Nix’s legs by incorporating more quarterback designed runs into the game plan. Nix only had 15 carries for 67 yards on designed runs .

The Bad

Neither Javonte Williams, Jaleel McLaughlin or Audric Estime established themselves as Denver’s top running back. None of Denver’s running backs came close to 100 yards in a game. The unit’s inconsistency showed up most against quality run defenses. Denver rushed for 78 yards in Week 10’s loss to the Chiefs. And against Buffalo, the Broncos were held to 79 yards on the ground and 35 in the second half .

The Unknown

It’s uncertain if Denver will bring back Williams after an underwhelming year. Payton stated during the team’s end-of-the-season press conference that the offense will continue to rely on multiple running backs. That’s not surprising since he did the same during his days with the Saints.

If Williams is out of the picture, Denver might lean on the draft to add to its running back rotation of McLaughlin and Estime. Ashton Jeanty (Boise State), Omarion Hampton (North Carolina), Kaleb Johnson (Iowa) and Cam Skattebo (Arizona State) are among prospects the Broncos could target. Running back Aaron Jones, 30, is a player the Broncos could go after in free agency. In Jones’ lone season with the Vikings, he totaled 1,138 and five touchdowns in 17 games .

Broncos’ Running back production

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Pass offense

Five Key Numbers

10: Nix’s touchdown total when blitzed.

108.3: Nix’s passer rating on attempts for 20-plus air yards.

62.4%: Nix’s completion percentage on third down.

3: Games with at least 100 receiving yards for Courtland Sutton.

16: Dropped passes for the Broncos (tied for 11th in the league).

The Good

Marvin Mims Jr. found his role on offense. After the second-year pass catcher totaled 69 receiving yards in the first 10 games, he hit a different gear with 434 yards and six touchdowns in the final seven games. The former Oklahoma standout finished with the second-most receiving yards (503) on the team. He was involved in two of the best plays of the season. He caught a 93-yard touchdown pass during Denver’s 41-32 home win over the Browns. Against the Bengals, he made a contested 25-yard touchdown catch in the final seconds of the fourth quarter to force overtime. If Mims can carry that performance into Year 3, he could be in for a big season.

The Bad

The Greg Dulcich experiment failed badly. Dulcich had five catches for 28 yards on 12 targets in four games. He was inactive for nine games before Denver waived him in late November. As a whole, Denver’s tight end didn’t provide much of an impact in the passing game. The trio of Adam Trautman, Lucas Krull and Nate Adkins combined for 455 yards and five touchdowns on 46 catches.

Wide receiver Troy Franklin didn’t have a rookie season to remember. The fourth-round pick had 28 catches for 263 yards and two scores in 16 games. Franklin and Nix were unsuccessful in connecting on the deep ball until the playoffs. On Denver’s first drive against the Bills, Nix completed a 43-yard touchdown pass to Franklin. But Franklin totaled just 11 yards the rest of the game.

The Unknown

There’s a few. First, what’s Sutton’s future? Denver could give him a contract extension after recording the second 1,000-yard season of his career. But if both sides are unable to come to an agreement, the Broncos may entertain the idea of trading the 29-year-old pass catcher, who will be a free agent in 2026. Denver is still searching for a versatile playmaker — something Payton has previously referred to as a “joker.” The Broncos might have to get aggressive during free agency or hope Penn State tight end Tyler Warren is available with the 20th pick.

Most touchdown passes thrown by rookie in a season

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