ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- The Denver Broncos have fought their way back to 2-2 after their 0-2 start, thanks largely to the heavy lifting of a defense that's currently among the league's top four in most major statistical categories. But they now enter October hoping they can discover something they didn't find enough of in September: touchdowns.
The Broncos are tied for last in the league with four offensive TDs. They are also 27th in total offense (266.0 yards per game), 27th in passing (159.8 YPG), 31st in third down conversion rate (24.6%) and tied for last in percentage of touchdowns scored on red zone drives (33.3%). Coach Sean Payton has been critical of the Broncos' run game all season, but at 20th in the league (106.3 YPG), the so-so rushing production might actually be the best thing the offense has going right now.
"I just talked about how important the month of October is for teams in our league," Payton said earlier this week. "You've gotten four games kind of on film with everyone. There's really not this plateau. You're getting better, or it's the other [direction]."
After a 2-0 road trip -- with wins over the Buccaneers and the Jets -- the Broncos are on the doorstep of their first AFC West games of the season. Denver has home matchups against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday (4:05 p.m. ET, Empower Field at Mile High, Fox) and the Los Angeles Chargers next week.
"Divisional games are divisional games, I think that's understood," Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton said. "... It definitely hits a little different."
Rookie quarterback Bo Nix has certainly had the expected growing pains, and getting him on track will be key to finding the end zone and getting those all-important divisional wins. Nix has checked one significant box on Payton's quarterback to-do list by not taking sacks (only four this season), but his overall football life has been difficult. He is 20th in QBR (49.5), 32nd in yards per completion (8.0), 29th in completion percentage (60.1%) and tied for 34th in touchdown passes (1). The Broncos have two pass completions gaining more than 30 yards in four games, both to Josh Reynolds and one coming on a trick play.
Nix wore his frustration on his sleeve in the rainy win over the Jets this past Sunday, especially in a first half in which he was 7-of-15 passing for minus-7 yards. In the game, Sutton (three receptions, 60 yards), fullback Michael Burton (one catch, 3 yards) and running back Javonte Williams (two catches, 3 yards) were the only players among the seven who caught passes to have positive yardage totals.
"I just told him, 'Go do what you do,'" Sutton said of the Broncos' slight second-half rebound against the Jets. "Bo knows what he's doing. ... It's just us letting him know, 'Hey, we're riding with you. Whenever we get the chance to go make a play, we're going to do our very best to go make that play for you. Just keep doing what you're doing back there and we'll keep doing our job. We'll work together, and we'll find it eventually.'"
Payton's offenses in New Orleans were regularly among the league's highest scoring, but these Broncos are 27th in points per game (15.5). So beyond a rookie quarterback trying to learn as he goes, what is going wrong?
Some league personnel executives say the Broncos are not doing what many successful offenses do against largely nickel defenses (five defensive backs). Denver is last in the NFL in the use of motion at or before the snap (30.6% of plays) and 23rd in play-action percentage (20.9%).
The Broncos are also last in yards per pass attempt (4.8), working primarily in the short areas of the field. Defenses are crowding the spots where Nix is attempting to throw the ball, and it's working. And the Broncos' tight ends have a mere eight catches combined, and only two wide receivers -- Sutton (15 receptions for 192 yards) and Reynolds (11 for 174) -- are averaging more than 10 yards per reception.
Still, Payton continues to point to the collective.
"The execution, the details still have to get better with younger players," Payton said. "... I've said this before; if everyone else can paint the right picture, then you truly get to evaluate and watch a really good quarterback."
History says Nix has some good company at his current position on the learning curve. He is the first rookie to have started the season opener at QB for the team since Hall of Famer John Elway did in 1983. And while Nix is only the second Broncos starting quarterback since the 1970 merger to have one touchdown pass in the first four games of a season, the other is Elway.
That is the heaviest of comparisons for Broncos signal-callers, but right now the offense is simply in search of a little more equilibrium and few more trips across the goal line.
"I think the guys are focused," Sutton said. "We came in Monday, watched the film, got better from it and put it to bed. ... [Just] continue stacking those days so we can go out there Sunday and put our best foot forward. I feel like our best foot is going to be good enough to be able to take care of what we need to take care of."