Week 2 of the NFL season is here, and the aftermath of Week 1 has presented the Denver Broncos with several challenges as the rest of the season continues. In our latest installment of our Broncos Mailbag at Mile High Sports, Broncos Country wants to know what the biggest concern is with the team and how fast can they fix it?

Week 2 Denver Broncos mailbag series

If you are interested in having your Broncos mailbag questions answered in our weekly series, please send your questions in on Monday’s on Twitter @CodyRoarkNFL or email them directly to [email protected]. We will have a Google form coming in the next two weeks that will make it easier for you to get involved.

What’s your biggest concern that can be fixed immediately? What are you not as concerned about that others are? – @the_mical on Twitter. 

I think the biggest concern that can be fixed immediately has a lot to do with some of the fundamental issues Bo Nix had with the offense. Broncos head coach Sean Payton even hinted at this during his Monday morning conference call with us. Nix pressed quite a bit and had some moments where he drifted off of his backfoot when throwing, and while that had a negative impact on the offense, Denver’s biggest concern is the run game or lack thereof.

Denver had too many plays behind the line of scrimmage and far too many third and long situations. They need more contributions from Javonte Williams, Jaleel McLaughlin, and Audric Estime in between the tackles to help alleviate some of the concerns on offense. Overall, I’m not as concerned, nor have I bought into the doom and gloom some have subscribed to after Week 1.

What’s the reason Marvin Mims didn’t get many receiver reps in the game? I really feel we could use his and Troy Franklin’s speed out there. It didn’t really look like Seattle was too worried about getting beat deep with who we had on the field—Isaiah Biocic.

Seattle played a lot of zone coverage on Sunday and mainly kept everything in front of them. There were a couple of deep ball opportunities, one in particular to Courtland Sutton on a deep middle post, but Nix had sailed it over his head. As it pertains to Marvin, it’s been one of the bigger questions we’ve had since training camp and the preseason where he was hardly featured. One target on offense for a player who was said to have a larger role by Payton this offseason is a bit concerning. His speed can be dynamic, but Payton rolled primarily with Sutton, Josh Reynolds, Greg Dulcich, Adam Trautman, and Lil’Jordan Humphrey as the main receiving targets. Pittsburgh will play some zone this weekend, but they’ll dial up a lot of man looks with a ton of blitzes, I imagine, especially with T.J. Watt off the edge. Franklin will likely be another gameday inactive as he could redshirt this season.

While there was definitely plenty of bad from the game, what stood out to you as an undisputed positive? That defense looked legit in the first half – Collin McKenna.

I loved everything I saw from the Broncos special teams units on Sunday. They did a terrific job in their kick coverage, where Tremon Smith, Keidron Smith, and JL Skinner stood out. Flipping field position was huge, and Denver’s defense played better than people are giving them credit for. That first-half defense was stingy and on point. Seattle’s no huddle and uptempo offense in the third quarter were where things hurt them a bit. They gave up a few chunk plays on the ground, then a big passing play, and didn’t have a chance to adjust or substitute. I wouldn’t have minded them burning a timeout on that drive to settle things down, but they pressed a little bit after some of those big plays. The Broncos buckled down in the fourth quarter too defensively. I’d say one area that hurt them was the time on the field. Far too often, Denver’s offense got off the field quickly, and the defense was forced to be right back on it. Jonathon Cooper had a helluva game off the edge, and Baron Browning did too. Patrick Surtain II held DK Metcalf to three catches for 29 yards on four targets.

More encouraged or discouraged by Bo after watching the film? – xotru6 on Twitter.

I’m in the middle. There were some good things he did well in Sunday’s game, but there were a handful of bad decisions and missed opportunities. I’d love to remind Broncos Country that he’s a rookie. He’s going to struggle and make mistakes, and his first game contained plenty of that. Let me know your thoughts on the film review I did after the game. Nix will be fine, I believe.

So does Russell Wilson start next week for Pittsburgh and score a TD against the Broncos? Thinking that script is being written as we speak. Your thoughts? – Ed Helinski

Great question, Ed. I don’t think the Steelers know who their starter will be just yet for Week 2. It seems like Russell Wilson’s calf injury has been lingering since training camp. Justin Fields did solid against the Atlanta Falcons, but the biggest worry I have for Denver has more to do with the Steelers’ defense. If Wilson plays, I’m sure he’ll have a chip on his shoulder, but I think Denver’s defense knows how to play against him.

Why is it that so many fans always have turned on Bo Nix after ONE game? – Collin Harrington

Expectations are always high in Broncos Country, I get it. We unfortunately live in an ‘instant gratification’ world and the pressure for this team to be good again is something that elevates expectations. Even with Nix having a strong offseason, I’ve encouraged fans to be patient with him, knowing that he’s going to have low moments. He had his first lows on Sunday, and it won’t be the last time, but he’ll also have plenty of highs, in my opinion. I understand the fanbase’s frustration, but they’ve had a tendency to give up too quickly on players in a game where a lot of mistakes are going to happen. Nix has the mentality and work ethic to show up and improve, and I hope the negative and often loudest section of the fanbase doesn’t drown out his confidence.