Sean Payton says Bo Nix wasn't to blame for the Denver Broncos' struggles

Bo Nix‘s debut didn’t go as planned. The rookie first-round pick looked lost.

He stared down a receiver in the red zone, allowing the safety time to make pick off the pass. He tried to hit Courtland Sutton in triple coverage, but that pass was picked off, too. He threw the ball into harm’s way repeatedly.

Nix didn’t receive enough help. Courtland Sutton dropped two passes. Other receivers dropped passes, too. But Nix didn’t help himself, either.

Nix finished 26-of-42 for 138 yards. The Denver Broncos lost 26-20 to the Seattle Seahawks.

“It was a challenge,” Nix said. “It was a tough day. They didn’t make it easy on us, that’s for sure.”

Since the Broncos won Super Bowl 50, they’ve had a quarterback attempt at least 10 passes in a game 134 times. Nix’s 47.5 passer rating on Sunday ranks 126th in those games.

By the eye test, and by the numbers, Nix’s debut wasn’t ideal.

But head coach Sean Payton places the blame elsewhere.

“We just got to be better around him, and that’s my impression from just watching it without looking at the tape,” he said.

The coach pointed to the protection, which he said wasn’t quite where he wanted it. He pointed to the running game, as the Broncos’ top two backs both finished with less than three yards per carry.

He also pointed to the receivers. During the game, Payton approached them on the bench to try to give them a boost after the drops.

“Man, let’s help this guy,” Payton said.

Slow starts are common for rookie quarterbacks. John Elway was benched in his first game after completing one pass in his first 12 dropbacks. Peyton Manning threw 28 interceptions in his rookie season. This year’s first overall pick, Caleb Williams, threw for less than 100 yards and posted a 55.7 passer rating in Week 1.

Slow starts are okay… as long as growth follows.

“It’s big shoes for him to fill, but I feel like he’s learning,” rookie wide receiver Devaughn Vele said. “He’s getting better every single time, and we’re going to continue to trust him every single week.”

Nix started slowly in the preseason, too.

While his numbers were stellar in all three games, he was jittery in his first outing. He left clean pockets. He didn’t set his feet when he threw the ball. He ran instead of throwing the ball to open receivers.

But Nix played clean football in his final two preseason games. Could Nix’s growth come quickly?

The Broncos got the ball with 4:28 left in the game, facing a 26-13 deficit. They needed to drive 77 yards for a quick touchdown, force a three-and-out on defense, and then produce another quick touchdown drive.

The task was tall, but Nix did his part.

The rookie led a seven-play, 54-yard touchdown drive. He hit receivers in the short areas of the field. He put them in position to get out of bounds. He capped the drive with a touchdown run.

It was easily the best drive in a day that featured seven three-and-outs.

But the defense couldn’t get the ball back to the offense, so Nix didn’t get his chance to traverse the length of the field in a little less than two minutes to win the game.

“As poorly as we did, I think we gave ourselves a chance to win there at the end,” Nix said. “we never quit. We battled. It could have gotten out of hand, but it didn’t. We were a possession away from having a chance.”