During the Denver Broncos' 26-20 Week 1 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, there was plenty for Broncos fans to be frustrated about.
The Broncos couldn't get the run game going (Bo Nix was their leading rusher). The defense allowed Kenneth Walker to run wild in the second half and the team had too many costly turnovers. But what was easily the most frustrating aspect of this game was watching the Broncos' passing attack which looked like it wouldn't threaten many college teams.
Nix attempted 42 passes in this game. He completed 26 of those. But he only averaged 3.3 yards per completion so in other words, not much more than you and I averaged. Every time he dropped back to throw, he was looking for quick, short passes. That is what was expected as it was a big part of his college game, but those passes are supposed to open up the deeper passing game. The Seahawks weren't remotely concerned about him throwing the ball deep.
Part of that is the players he is throwing to. Courtland Sutton was out there and he was targeted 12 times. He caught just four of those. Guys like Devaughn Vele, a seventh-round pick and Lil'Jordan Humphrey, a guy Sean Payton has some strange fascination with, were on the field as well.
Those guys are not going to scare an opposing defense.
However, you have Marvin Mims Jr., the player who is supposed to be your best deep threat and he gets just one target all game. This makes absolutely no sense.
Last year, Mims saw limited action despite making plays when he was given the opportunity. He caught 22 passes for 377 yards but again, found himself on the sidelines far too often. That could be explained away as he was a rookie but now, it makes no sense.
The Broncos didn't try and take the top off the Seahawks' defense even one time in this game. That made the passing game an extension of the running game, which also wasn't good, and made the team very easy to defend.
That is why they lost this game.
Going forward, the Broncos need to focus on getting wide receivers more involved. It's one thing to try and have the biggest, tallest wide receivers you can find, but guys like Vele and Humphrey are not big playmakers. They can help out in the passing game, but this team needs to find a way to create dynamic plays. Mims is their best option to do that.
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