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For the fourth time in four games this season, the Denver Broncos got off to a slow start on offense.
This time, they couldn’t dig themselves out of a hole. The Broncos had three points at halftime of Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers. They finished with 14 in a 24-14 loss that dropped them to 2-2.
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In each of the Broncos’ four games this season, they’ve failed to reach double digits in points by halftime. They had seven at halftime in a 31-10 loss to the Chiefs. They had three points at halftime of a 20-13 win over the Jaguars.
They were scoreless at halftime in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams before a rally for a 30-26 win over the Rams that was aided by an NFL-acknowledged officiating error. On Sunday, there was no comeback, and a Broncos team with Super Bowl aspirations now sits two game behind the 4-0 Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West.
This again brought up questions for head coach Sean Payton about offensive coordinator and first-year play caller Davis Webb, who took the reins from Payton to call plays this season.
“It’s too early — it’s a fair question; I appreciate it. And, man, it’s tough to discuss any of that right now,” Payton told reporters Sunday when asked postgame if he’d considering making play-calling changes.
The Broncos certainly have plenty to consider on offense, from Webb’s play-calling to Box Nix’s execution at quarterback to an ineffcient run game that averaged 3.7 yards per carry against the 49ers.
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But for now, the heat in Denver is on Webb. And Payton — renowned as one of the great offensive minds in football — has a lot to consider as questions swirl over whether he should take back the game-day reins of Denver’s offense.
“We’ve had some opportunities, but there are a handful of things that aren’t clicking,” Payton continued Sunday, per 104.3 The Fan. “And we gotta figure it out fast, because we’re going into Week 5.”
