Renck: Broncos’ offensive improvement starts with Sean Payton. And he knows it.

The admission became a confession.

Answering a question about Bo Nix’s disappointing Week 1 performance, coach Sean Payton volunteered that he failed him.

“I don’t know how many games I’ve called, but that’s one of them where I came away from it like, ‘I have to be a lot better,’ ” Payton said.

Payton’s resume tells you he his a great coach. But can he still be a great coach when it matters most? Against good teams? On the road? In September?

Payton, the coach, has been a home-run hire. Payton, the offensive coordinator, has ground to cover.

Payton has turned over nearly 80 percent of the roster, created a winning culture, and ended an eight-year playoff drought. Now comes the hard part: Living up to his own expectations. He has shown uncommon devotion and protection of Nix and is not particularly interested in showing patience with his development.

You don’t blame Payton for the two interceptions, one fumble and strange misfires. Unless you do. Because it sure sounds like Payton believes he put Nix in bad spots, by burdening him with long play calls, slowing the operation with an endless stream of personnel groupings, and not providing better audible options in the run game.

Payton put too much on Nix’s plate. That is an easy fix.

But the real question is whether Payton is asking too much of himself.

This isn’t about whether he should cede play-calling duties to Joe Lombardi or Davis Webb. Nothing like that. My concern is that Payton has made his own challenge unnecessarily difficult, narrowed the margins.

We know he does not just want to win. He wants to win his way.

But he must prevent his ego from getting in the way.

During the draft, the Broncos took a cornerback in the first round, passing on available tight ends and receivers. It was a luxury pick. They needed offensive weapons. It makes what Payton is trying to pull off in Denver harder. He loves to buck the odds, seeing Marques Colston and Darren Sproles in the likes of Troy Franklin, Pat Bryant and R.J. Harvey.

The truth? He better be right, or his belief in the Broncos as a Super Bowl contender will be wrong.

Payton piloted a jet in New Orleans, his offenses ranking in the top 10 for 14 consecutive seasons from 2006 through 2019. He hasn’t had a top 10 ranking since. There are reasons, of course. Russell Wilson never fit, and this represents the first time Payton has worked with a young quarterback, albeit hand-picked.

But answer me this: How many games this month would you take Broncos’ top skill players — Courtland Sutton, Evan Engram, J.K. Dobbins — over their opponents’? Tyler Warren, Michael Pittman, and Jonathon Taylor with the Colts? The Chargers’ Ladd McConkey, Keenan Allen and Omarion Hampton? And Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Chase Brown?

The point is, Payton must really be on point with his play calls. He needs the scheme to inflate the players, not the other way around. That has not always been the case since he arrived in Denver.

Even with three straight wins, Payton owns a 3-5 record in September. You probably knew that. What you didn’t know is that the Broncos have averaged 18.8 points in the first month.

Here is why this matters this week if you view the Broncos as a serious threat in the AFC. The Colts are good. And the Broncos went 2-7 against teams that finished with winning records last season. They averaged 20 points in those games, and 17.8 if you throw out the 38-0 drubbing of the Chiefs’ junior varsity.

So, 18.8 in September and 17.8 vs. contenders? These are not good looks, and why Sunday is so important and dangerous. These are the kinds of games the Broncos have to win if they are going to win the division.

Payton needs to out-coach Shane Steichen. And it requires a governor on the engine.

The Broncos don’t need to be explosive. They need to be efficient.

They don’t need dynamic. They need balance.

They don’t need a hero. They need humility.

First team to 21 points wins.

Payton knows the Broncos cannot open a road game with 17 passes in the first 21 plays and throw 22 times by halftime. He cited himself as the reason it happened against the Titans, though some of Nix’s audibles likely aided the lopsided number.

The Broncos are poised for a special season, their best since 2015. It’s becoming clear Payton must adjust to this team’s strengths and lean into the defense. Not every week. Just until the offense is ready to go full throttle.

Accountability is a critical trait for a head coach. Not only holding the players to a standard, but himself. The Broncos are not the Bills or Ravens, which means they can’t go around throwing 40 passes every week. They are still searching for their identity offensively, which should be clarified as Nix and the ground game find their footing.

They can win this way, it just won’t be the pinball Payton presided over in New Orleans.

He walked away from debriefing film knowing this team must improve. And he knows it starts with him.

Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis.

The post Renck: Broncos’ offensive improvement starts with Sean Payton. And he knows it. appeared first on Denver Post