The names Bo Nix, Caleb Williams, and Jayden Daniels, have one thing in common. They were all slated to have a monumental debut but fell short of meeting the expectations. Out of all these names, Nix showed the most promise in the preseason and there was a lot of hype around him. However, that excitement quickly dwindled after the week 1 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

Throughout the preseason, Nix didn’t throw a pick or get sacked and those are some of the qualities dear to Sean Payton. But he wasn’t so poised and composed against the Seahawks as he came out with two interceptions and two sacks. The former Denver Broncos lineman, Mark Schlereth thinks that Nix’s teammates failed him.

“The difference between Jayden Daniels, Bo Nix and Caleb Williams was Bo Nix had not one guy make a play,” Mark Schlereth said on The Stinkin’ Truth Podcast with Mark Schlereth. “It wasn’t nearly as bad as it looked on the television copy when you went to the coach’s film. And we heard Sean Payton come out after post game after they looked at the film and basically said, basically called his team to the carpet and said, ‘Our guys got to make some plays.’”

Nix threw for 138 yards and completed 26 of his 42 passes, but did not record any passing touchdowns. However, he did rush for 35 yards and scored a rushing touchdown. A quick look at the stats reveals that the Broncos averaged only 3.3 yards per play and rushed for 99 yards throughout the game. It’s somewhat concerning that 35 of those rushing yards came from Nix himself.

Another cause for concern is that the Broncos only completed 13 of their first downs, compared to Seattle’s 19. The lack of a running game and the fact that the Broncos’ receivers didn’t score a single touchdown highlight significant playmaking issues. Astonishingly, no Broncos receiver averaged 9.5 yards per catch, except for Courtland Sutton. In contrast, Seattle had a receiver with an average of 14.5 yards, their highest.

However, the Broncos did make history by scoring two safeties in the second quarter, becoming the second team since 1960 to achieve this. Returning to Nix, he attempted to make some big plays by forcing long passes downfield, but those passes ended up in the hands of Riq Woolen and Julian Love instead.

On that note, examining the Seahawks’ defense is crucial.

Mike Macdonald’s HC debut forces Bo Nix Broncos to go bust

Let’s talk about the Nix-picks for a second. The first interception happened when Nix tried to force a deep pass to Courtland Sutton, who was in the endzone. That happened in the second quarter with about 11:30 left on the clock. By the looks of it, Nix’s pass too predictable for Julian Love, who seemed to have been closely following Courtland Sutton. Another interception came in the fourth quarter.

Denver was struggling with just 13 points on the board compared to Seattle’s 26. With 5:36 left on the clock, Nix was forced to throw a deep pass, once again aimed at Courtland Sutton. The defenders easily read Nix’s intentions, and this time Riq Woolen intercepted the pass. It’s apparent that Nix might need to improve his chemistry with Sutton.

On that note, Mark Schlereth praised the defense of Mike Macdonald’s team. The youngest head coach in the league, who previously served as the Ravens’ defensive coordinator before taking the Seattle HC position, saw his defense keep the Broncos from reaching the end zone, except for one of Nix’s rushing touchdowns. They forced Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin into a corner, limiting them to just 50 yards on 18 carries (2.8 yards per attempt).

“I’m going to give credit to the Seattle Seahawks, Mike Macdonald,” Schlereth expressed. “That might have been the best tackling game I’ve ever watched. There was not one broken tackle. There was so many times when Sean Payton called a play where he had a back, tight end, wide receiver, one-on-one in the open field with a defender and I don’t think the Broncos got one yard after catch. It was unreal.”

If they struggled so much against a newly reformed Seattle Seahawks, imagine the damage that the Pittsburgh Steelers can do with their defense. The Steelers won their last game against the Falcons without scoring a single rushing or receiving touchdown. Overall, the Broncos need to improve their rushing game, increase their yards after the catch, and, most importantly, Nix and his offense need to stop making predictable plays.