Sean Payton says the Broncos are not considering benching Bo Nix despite a sputtering offense

Sean Payton is sticking with Bo Nix.

The Denver Broncos coach was asked Monday whether he had considered a change at quarterback after another quiet week for the offense. His answer was one word. "No," Payton said.

He said Nix will become "the by-product of all of the finer things that get improved" as the offensive line plays better and the run game finds more balance. "That's our job as coaches here," he said.

Winning ugly

Denver is 4-2 but the offense has not looked like a winner. The Broncos rank 26th in scoring and 31st in third-down conversions. They went 3 of 26 on third down combined in wins over the Los Angeles Chargers and the Seattle Seahawks.

In last Thursday night's overtime win over Seattle, a second-quarter touchdown gave Denver a 14-3 lead. After that the Broncos never ran more than five plays or gained more than 23 yards on any of their 10 possessions. A Ja'Quan McMillian interception set up the winning field goal in overtime.

It was the third game this season in which Denver scored 17 points or fewer.

The numbers behind the noise

Nix has become the face of the slump. He ranks 31st in the league in QBR and 32nd in yards per attempt at 5.6. He threw for 107 yards against Seattle and 123 against the Chargers, two of the three lowest totals of his career.

"I don't know where the disconnect is right now, to be honest with you," Nix said after Thursday's win. "I just think we're really struggling to find those explosive plays."

Payton made it clear the problems go beyond the quarterback. The Broncos are 26th in rushing and 27th in passing yards. They are tied for last in the league in plays of 20 yards or more. Their longest play against Seattle went 16 yards.

Eyes on Arizona

Payton praised Nix's ability to "climb through adversity." He said it was one of the traits Denver liked when it drafted him 12th overall in 2024.

He also said body language matters when first downs are hard to come by and that the team's attention to detail "has to improve." Asked about the national criticism of Nix, Payton said his focus is on getting ready to play the Arizona Cardinals.