Was Bo Nix to blame for the Denver Broncos' struggles against the Seattle Seahawks?

The Running Game

What are a young quarterback’s best friends? A good defense and a good running game.

The Broncos’ running game wasn’t good enough.

Denver’s running backs carried the ball 20 times and picked up 64 yards, good for 3.2 yards per carry. League average in Week 1 was 4.4 yards per carry, but that number includes quarterbacks, who almost always improve efficiency. (If you include Nix in the Broncos rushing stats, they averaged 4.0 yards per carry on Sunday.)

In other words, the Broncos were below average in the running game, but I thought they had opportunities to be much better.

Here’s a freeze-frame from one of the first plays of the game…

The blocking is set up perfectly. If Courtland Sutton can sustain his block, Javonte Williams would have a one-on-one with the safety. But Williams slipped on the cut and was down at the 12-yard line. (The Seahawks recently installed new turf and slipping was a major problem on Sunday.)

If Williams could have beaten the safety and scored, the Broncos would have finished with 4.44 yards per carry, beating league average. His own efficiency would jump from 2.9 yards per carry to 4.4.

While it was an up-and-down day on the ground, the Broncos were only one or two “ups” away from a good day overall. And the running backs had opportunities to make the necessary plays.

The Broncos ranked sixth in the NFL in run-block win rate, according to ESPN. Plays like this one certainly help…

Ben Powers and Luke Wattenberg both put defenders flat on their backs.

The Broncos’ offesnvie line wasn’t perfect. They gave up a couple of negative runs. The running backs bailed the linemen out of a couple of others. But the decision-making from the running backs was the biggest drain on the running game on Sunday.

Here’s an example. (It’s a screen pass, not a run, but it proves the point.)

This is the moment Williams caught the ball. Which way should he go?

To my eye, it looks like an easy decision. Both of his blockers have inside leverage on the two nearest defenders. If he cuts inside, his blockers can easily handle the two defenders and Williams will have a one-on-one with the linebacker.

Williams went to the outside.

Meinerz wasn’t able to get in front of the defender—this isn’t a surprise, the smaller defender has outside leverage and an athleticism advantage—and Williams is tackled at the line of scrimmage.

I like the bones of the Broncos’ rushing attack. I saw enough to be excited about the rest of the season. But they need more from their backs.

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