The Broncos take the field at Empower Field at Mile High in 2025. Photo by Tennessee Titans, CC-BY-4.0, resized.4-2, and outscored
The Broncos take the field at Empower Field at Mile High in 2025. Photo by Tennessee Titans, CC-BY-4.0, resized.A winning record, a losing margin
The Broncos opened with a 31-10 loss in Kansas City, then beat Jacksonville and the Rams at home. A 24-14 loss in San Francisco was followed by two tight wins: 23-17 against the Chargers and 17-14 in overtime against Seattle on Thursday night.
All four wins came by seven points or fewer. Both losses came by 10 or more.
- Chiefs 31, Broncos 10 in Kansas City
- Broncos 20, Jaguars 13 at home
- Broncos 30, Rams 26 at home
- 49ers 24, Broncos 14 in Santa Clara
- Broncos 23, Chargers 17 in Los Angeles
- Broncos 17, Seahawks 14 in overtime at home
Bo Nix at Empower Field at Mile High in September 2025. Photo by Tennessee Titans, CC-BY-4.0, cropped and resized.The passing game is shrinking
Bo Nix threw for 288 yards against Jacksonville in Week 2. Over the last two weeks he has 230 combined: 123 against the Chargers and 107 on 17-of-27 passing against Seattle.
He has six touchdown passes in six games and has not topped 214 yards since Week 2.
Nix passing yards, week by week
Yards are hard to find
Denver has averaged 252.2 total yards. It reached 392 against Jacksonville and has not passed 300 since.
At the Chargers the offense converted one of 12 third downs. Against Seattle it failed on all six second-half third downs and managed 32 yards on its last 10 possessions.
Broncos total yards, week by week
The defense takes over
The other side is moving in the opposite direction. After allowing 31, 13, 26 and 24 points, Denver held the Chargers to 17 and Seattle to 14.
The pass rush has 10 sacks in the last two games, five in each, and the defense has 10 takeaways for the season, six of them in those two wins. Seattle could not finish drives: six of its drives got inside the Denver 40, and they produced 11 points.
Points allowed, week by week
The Broncos take the field at Empower Field at Mile High in 2025. Photo by Tennessee Titans, CC-BY-4.0, resized.Thursday night, in overtime
Denver beat Seattle with Patrick Surtain II and Talanoa Hufanga both sidelined. The Broncos led 14-3 at halftime, and the Seahawks tied it with a field goal with three seconds left in regulation.
On Seattle’s first overtime possession, Ja’Quan McMillian intercepted Sam Darnold. The offense added 8 yards, and Wil Lutz won it from 53 yards with 4:53 to play in overtime.
“I don’t know why we can’t really push the ball vertically right now.”— Bo Nix, after the overtime win
Ten days to fix it
The Broncos do not play again until Sunday, October 25, at Arizona, at 4:05 p.m. EDT. That is 10 days to find a passing game that can carry part of the load.
At 4-2, Denver is ahead of its own numbers. Whether the defense can keep winning games by itself is the question the rest of October will answer.
- Broncos 17, Seahawks 14 (OT)
- At Arizona, 4:05 p.m. EDT
Sean Payton’s team has turned close games into wins and blowouts into losses, and that is how a club can sit two games over .500 while being outscored by 11. The defense has earned the record over the last two weeks. The offense will decide whether it lasts.
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