Sean Payton knows he has much to fix entering Year 2 in Denver, including last year’s ghastly red-zone operation, particularly in goal-to-go situations.
The Broncos coach called his short red-zone execution “awful” on Monday.
“There’s a number of things (to blame), and we’ve got to do a better job as coaches,” the coach said. "We were talking about first-and-goal inside the 9-[yard line], we’ve got to do a much better job, and we will. ... There’s a combination -- if we went back and went through the whole self-scout, I could give you the 11 things that we didn’t do well.”
The Broncos ranked 20th in red-zone efficiency last season, a figure that plummeted to 30th in goal-to-go situations, per TruMedia. Denver struggled in every aspect: getting out of the huddle in a timely fashion, run blocking, pass protection, inefficient short-yardage running plays, missed receivers, the list goes on.
The goal-to-go problems were unusual for a Payton-led offense, which always shone in the red zone during his run in New Orleans.
Part of the problems could probably be laid at the feet of Russell Wilson, who caught some ire from Payton with his red-zone play last season. However, the lack of a potent rushing attack likely played a more significant role. Denver was 30th in G2G rushing efficiency last season. Starter Javonte Williams, who struggled in his return from injury last year, gained only 15 yards on 16 goal-to-go rushes, per The Athletic.
A healthier Williams and importing big-back Audric Estimé out of Notre Dame should improve the short-yardage plays in 2024.
“Generally speaking, as that field shrinks, a two-and-a-half or 3-yard run is a pretty good play,” Payton said.
Whether Bo Nix or Jarrett Stidham starts the season under center, the Broncos need more from the rushing attack than they did last season, particularly in key short-yardage situations.