Why QB Bo Nix, Broncos are struggling to complete deep passes

Consecutive snaps to end the third quarter and start the fourth Sunday show the Broncos’ passing game limitations in one nice, tidy package.

On the first, rookie quarterback Bo Nix play-fakes to Javonte Williams and rolls by design to his right.

The window to tight end Nate Adkins isn’t big. Perhaps the spacing between him and Courtland Sutton should have been better. Maybe it would have been had Adkins not stumbled a bit at the start of his route. It’s a tough layered throw for Nix — a true NFL throw — and it’s high but borderline catchable for Adkins.

It did graze the 6-foot-3 tight end’s hands and maybe a more accomplished receiver or a bigger player comes down with it.

On the next play, Nix just makes a bad throw. He’s got a free play, a clean pocket and an open receiver, but doesn’t step into his motion at all and instead flat-foot slings a ball to Sutton too low over the middle for what would have been at least 15 yards.

The second didn’t even go on Nix’s ledger as an incompletion because of the penalty, but it’s indicative all the same.

The rookie finished Sunday 3 of 12 on passes that traveled 10-plus yards in the air. He got a trio of chunks in those situations — 49 yards to Josh Reynolds, 26 to Sutton and 15 on a desperation play at the end of a 13-6 loss to the Steelers — but also threw both interceptions on the day, too.

Through two games, Nix is 5 of 24 for 132 yards and all four interceptions on balls thrown 10-plus yards in the air, according to Next Gen Stats.

“We go in each week with a number of designed shots,” head coach Sean Payton said Monday when asked about the lack of production. “We hit Courtland on the deep third-down ‘dagger.’ Obviously, we hit the flea flicker. There are more than that that are called, so now you’re waiting for the right time. Sometimes you get the coverage look you want.

“But I think two weeks in would be a little early for (concern).”

It is indeed early, but teams will continue to compress the field on Nix until he shows he can be more threatening.

Here’s Nix’s pass attempts by depth of target so far this season:

Behind line-of-scrimmage: 13 of 13

0-5 yards: 20 of 22

5-10 yards: 8 of 18

10-plus yards: 5 of 24

Quarterbacks naturally tend to complete lower percentages the farther down the field they go and Nix’s average depth of target through two games is No. 14 in the NFL. But the average air yards per completion currently sits at No. 28.

Payton and several Broncos offensive players cite multiple issues — inconsistent protection, lack of separation by the receivers, drops, etc. And that’s all true.

One part Nix has control over and must continue to work on is his footwork. When he gets sped up, his feet get happy and he ends up throwing from off-balance angles or without his legs underneath him even when he doesn’t have to.

“I agree,” Payton said when asked about Nix’s footwork Monday. “A couple of things you see on tape: You see, early on, us struggle (to protect) inside which forces him out of the pocket. Then you do see later in the second half (he has) a cleaner pocket and then him hurry it. It’s developing the confidence of climbing, developing the confidence within the framework of your protection. He does have a good pocket presence for the most part. He’s not someone that’s just going to look to take off and look to scramble.

“So we’ve got to build on that and make sure it kind of begins with that, relative to the design of what you’re trying to do in the drop-back passing game.”

One small thing I liked: Safety Brandon Jones tackling Justin Fields in space to force a punt on the first defensive series of the game. That’s a heck of a play. Jones took a good angle from the back end to cut down Fields, who is a terrific athlete.

Related: Denver played some modified 4-4 with four down linemen, two OLBs, two ILBs and one safety on the field against the run-heavy Steelers. That would be fun to see more of, but it’s probably unlikely against Baker Mayfield and the more balanced Buccaneers on Sunday. Perhaps on early run downs.

One small thing I didn’t like: Payton’s decision to kick the ball deep rather than onside late in the fourth quarter when trailing 13-6 was a questionable one. But here’s another wrinkle.

The Broncos only had one timeout remaining for their entire two-minute drive. They kicked a field goal with 1:56 left. If you know you need two scores and the clock is your enemy, why not take the field goal before the two-minute warning? Nix got 5 yards to the Pittsburgh 11-yard line with 2:26 left and the next play wasn’t snapped until 2:03. Instead of throwing the ball two more times, a spike and field goal after the Nix run would have left about 2:15 remaining and an extra stoppage in your pocket. Maybe you get the ball back with 1:15 left rather than 9 seconds.

Naturally, the TD is the tougher part and you want to get seven when you’re down that close, but you have to get two scores regardless. No matter what, Denver had long odds.

In a series of far-from-ideal options, though, an earlier field goal would have at least been an interesting approach.