Broncos seem confident about game plan for the Bucs, scoring in the red zone

One thing you don't hear from too many athletes, including football players, is that they cannot wait to play in heat and humidity.

But Bo Nix cannot wait.

The Alabama-born quarterback believes the Florida temps will feel like home.

"I love it. I think that's one thing I am actually looking forward to getting back to. ...It's going to be hot and humid, and it's going to be uncomfortable for most," Nix said Wednesday about the two-game road trip that will start in Tampa Bay and end in New York.

Nix admitted that the effects of the humidity can hit hard, but it reminds him of playing high school football for his dad in Pinson, Alabama.

"When you get in the game, you start feeling the effects of the humidity and temperature, I think that's when it's kind of like high school football all over again," he added. "I'm excited for that."

Nix is going to need to be excited because the forecast is for a high of 91 with humidity starting the day at 70% and finishing around 82%. For some context, if the temperature is 88 and the humidity is 75%, that's a "feels like" temp over 100.

Yuck.

And we all remember how the humidity in Miami (and the Dolphins) kicked the Broncos' butts a year ago , so a QB looking forward to the humidity is at least something.

But what has to be something is the Broncos fixing third-down and red zone issues — which head coach Sean Payton said was a major focus Wednesday.

Nix was asked what he had figured out about scoring in the red zone, and the rookie had a candid answer - "obviously not a whole lot."

But actually he understands the issue quite well — it's hard to score on such a short field against a disciplined defense, which the Broncos will be facing once again in the Bucs.

"Like anything else, that's a work in progress. We have to continue to find ways to move the ball and gain just subtle yards to where we can put the ball close enough, get in some goal-line situations, and put the ball in the box," he said. "Red zone is always hard no matter what level you're on because the field shrinks, and the defense doesn't have as much ground to cover. We just have to do a good job of being efficient in the red zone and continuing to move forward."

One of the things he'll try to improve on this week is climbing in the pocket. Nix believes he has a fair amount of experience in all levels of pocket play — staying in it and climbing as well as moving to escape.

The key is completing the pass no matter what.

"Sometimes I have to get on the move, sometimes you have all day. It kind of depends on the situation to be honest with you," Nix added. "It's just playing [with] what the defense gives you. Every once in a while, you feel a clean pocket [and] you sit in there and you make a throw. Sometimes they bring an extra guy, and you can't block them, and you have to stay in there and still make a throw. Sometimes you have to escape."

Hopefully Courtland Sutton can be more of a factor for Nix and the offense.

Sutton acknowledged "the trips down there" but not being able to get the ball in for six.

"[Our] defense has played their butts off to give us a chance to be able to go and put even one touchdown. Us scoring and putting one touchdown on the board would've changed the outcome a little bit differently last week," Sutton pointed out. "Three points is nice, and I trust that Wil [Lutz] will get us those three points when we need them, but we also need to find a way to score touchdowns."

Especially against a team whose quarterback is seeing a renaissance of sorts in his game, as Payton said.

"He's tough and he's competitive. He loves playing football," Payton said, noting he got to know Baker Mayfield in the offseason. "[He's a] good person, he's very competitive and he's playing very well."

So far this season, Mayfield has led his team to 2-0, five touchdowns, only one interception and a win in spite of a five-sack game in Week 1. And he's got two big targets to help him out in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.

Patrick Surtain will be looking for a bounce-back game on Sunday to help minimize their damage.

"They're both dynamic in their own right. Mike, he's a great player. He's done it like you said, consistently over the years, and Godwin does it at a high level as well, too," Surtain said. "We definitely have [an] eye out for those two and I think we have a great plan moving forward towards the week."

Sutton understands that playing "good enough" is not going to do it.

"We have to find a way to maximize those trips [to the red zone] as much as we possibly can. It's going to take all of us. It literally takes all of us, literally every single one of us," he said. "It takes the whole village to be able to make sure that this situation gets resolved and we start finding ways to put touchdowns on the board."

There are currently "three disturbances" the National Hurricane Center is watching in the Gulf.

Let's hope one of them is the Broncos in the end zone on Sunday.