Sean Payton wonders if Broncos are ‘good enough’ around Bo Nix

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton was pleased – but far from jubilant – after Sunday’s 28-14 victory against the lifeless Carolina Panthers.

In the same breath, he praised quarterback Bo Nix’s 288-yard, four-touchdown effort, while in the next breath a “bothered” Payton criticized the talent surrounding his handpicked rookie, which continues to let him down.

“For a starting quarterback, I think these are all steps. Confidence steps. We have seen it. The key is – and I’ve already said it – the key is around him,” Payton said after the game. “Are we good enough at these other positions around him? That’s what we’re constantly looking (at). We have to paint the picture, and if we do that, we will be successful. We move the ball. Today we were much better on third down, better in the red zone. (We had) two fumbles with a wide receiver. (It) just is what it is. It’s bothering you.”

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To Payton’s point, and to Nix’s credit, Denver overcame a fumble by WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey on its first offensive series (and a subsequent Carolina score) to otherwise leave Empower Field with a resounding dub.

The Broncos piled up 400 yards of total offense, finishing 11 of 17 on third downs and 4 of 5 in the red zone as Nix became the winningest QB in franchise history, while veteran WR Courtland Sutton crossed the century mark for the first time since 2022.

“We felt like going into this game, we felt like we had a good week of preparation and we had a good plan. We have good leadership on this team,” Payton said of going into the game early hole. “The most important thing is that their expectations can’t be lower than mine as players. I told them, ‘We’re going to play in bigger games than this. But in bigger games than this, some of those games are going to cost us a lot of money.’ So we have to take care of that.”

The highs were higher than the lows versus Carolina. But the lows still existed, much to Payton’s dismay. Sutton also committed a fumble. Rookie WR Troy Franklin dropped a pass. Sophomore WR Marvin Mims ran the wrong route (or failed to locate the ball) on a deep attempt before halftime.

The Broncos opened as nine-point underdogs heading into their Week 9 road game in Baltimore. If they have any chance of a huge upset, those things can’t happen.

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