The Denver Broncos have won four straight games while barely moving the chains on third down. Denver has converted only 18.8% of its third downs during the streak, the lowest rate by any team during a four-game win streak in the NFL this century, DNVR’s Zac Stevens noted, citing Opta Stats.
The full-season number isn’t much better. The Broncos have converted 30 of 101 third-down attempts, a 29.7% rate that ranks last in the NFL, according to NFL.com’s team stats. The Browns and Commanders are the only other teams below 33%, and Denver has come up short on 71 third downs through eight games.
Sunday’s trip to Charlotte is the best chance Denver has had to fix it. The Panthers have allowed opponents to convert 45 of 97 third downs, a 46.4% rate, per NFL.com. That’s the opposite of what the Broncos’ offense has been doing for a month.
Bo Nix also has a good history against Carolina. In his rookie season, he completed 28 of 37 passes for 284 yards and three touchdowns with a 124.2 passer rating in a 28-14 win over the Panthers, per DenverBroncos.com.
The defense hasn’t been able to cover for the offense on third down, either. Denver has allowed 51 conversions on 121 third-down attempts,...