The Denver Broncos’ offensive struggles have been a talking point since their 24-14 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. They’ve scored just 13 first-half points in four games. What seems to be the problem?
The first thing contributing to the Broncos’ offensive struggles is a lack of run game. Denver averages just 81.3 rush yards per game. That is 29th in the league.
The return of JK Dobbins has not seemed to be effective. In 2025, the Broncos were more than effective running the ball when he was healthy. He rushed for 772 yards on 153 attempts.
Dobbins averaged 5.0 yards per rush in 2025, which ranked eighth in the league. This year, Dobbins has not come close to that level of production. In four games, he has 161 yards on 46 carries which is an average of 3.5 yards per rush.
The drop-off in Dobbins’ production has hampered Denver’s ability to have a consistent run game. It also doesn’t help that his running mate, RJ Harvey, has run for only 49 yards total this year. A factor contributing to that is the Broncos’ lack of patience with the ground game.
In addition to being 29th in rush yards, Denver is 27th in rush attempts. Their poor starts every game force them to abandon the run, sometimes prematurely. To start putting up better numbers in the first half, the offense needs to find a way to run the ball effectively.
Fortunately, the Broncos have an opportunity to right that ship against a Los Angeles Chargers team that is 21st against the run in terms of yards allowed, 121.8 per game. Can Denver take advantage?
Another reason for the Broncos’ offensive struggles is Bo Nix. He has been streaky to begin this season. He was awful against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week One. He then played one good half against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and was streaky against the Los Angeles Rams in Week Three.
In Week Four, Nix showed some concerning things on film against the 49ers. He finished with 214 yards on 42 passing attempts. That’s 5.10 yards per attempt, which is incredibly low.
What’s even more concerning is that Nix left a lot of yards on the field. He seemed hesitant to attack the middle of the field, even when opportunities were available. Instead, he often settled for the safer throw toward the flat.
In 2026 as a whole, Nix has five touchdowns to three interceptions with a passer rating of 80.4. The passer rating ranks 31st in the league at the moment. He also has not been willing to run the ball as much.
In four games this season, Nix has averaged just 3.5 rush attempts per game. That’s a significant drop-off from 4.88 in 2025 and 5.41 in 2024. Could his previous ankle injury still be affecting his willingness to run? If Denver is going to go far this year, the third-year quarterback is going to have to snap out of this mini slump.
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The Broncos’ offensive struggles, while concerning, are not something to panic about. In fact, Denver fans can spin this in a positive way. In their first four games, the team has faced the Chiefs, Jaguars, Rams, and 49ers, and they’re 2-2.
Those teams are a combined 11-1 when not facing Denver. With the offense being as bad as it has been, a .500 record against the gauntlet the Broncos have faced is nothing to be ashamed of. This week, they have a chance to correct some things against a struggling Chargers team.
In Week Six, Denver gets the Seattle Seahawks. That game could be the difference between the Broncos being a solid team and a great team.
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