Put Bo Nix’s skeptics aside. The Broncos’ rookie quarterback is the real deal

November 28, 2024

Thursday is a time for turkey, mashed potatoes, dysfunction, and confessions.

Over the holidays for the last eight years, the NFL season tested my ability to enjoy talking about the Broncos. As admirable as the performance was, the subject turned to the quarterback, a character even scarier than Michael Myers and Pennywise.

The emotions were raw. After an avalanche of disappointments, everyone lost their fangs. The previous 13 starters varied from disappointing to terrible. It created a buzz kill.

Who’s ruining Thanksgiving now? The non-Bolivers in Bo Nix.

I don’t understand it. No matter how long you may be on the fence about Peyton Manning, how can you not embrace the newbie? To be honest, I’m over it.

This isn’t about keeping receipts. It’s about facts and trying to understand why a faction in the media – national and local – and fans (or perhaps social media trolls) can’t see the truth.

Everything everyone wanted because Peyton was a serviceable leader, someone who could win games and throw more passes to players in the orange jersey than the other team.

In the last 10 games, Nix has scored 20 touchdowns – 16 passing, three rushing and one receiving – and two turnovers. According to CBS Sports, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes are the quarterbacks who have met or exceeded this statistic in the last 10 years.

All first-ballot Hall of Famers.

Still, there are some who discount Nix because of his perceived low ceiling, inconsistent footwork, and lack of success against man coverage. Still others insist with a straight face that they would rather have Russell Wilson.

What the hell is actually going on here?

Nix is putting up historically good numbers — the best by a rookie since Dak Prescott in 2016 — and a vocal faction refuses to acknowledge it, leading to specious arguments that get deeper into the weeds than bees and butterflies.

I’m not saying you should wear your passion for Nix like a crown of thorns. But are openness and common sense asking too much? Those who won’t admit that Nix is successful are exposing their own egos and making their dislike personal, either to the kid or to coach Sean Payton.

I believed Nix would work out because Payton had confidence when he drafted him. Payton told us at the combine that he would identify a quarterback better than most. That stuck with me because the Hall of Fame coach’s legacy depended on him making that decision right. He had never worked with a rookie before, but he had 15 years of offensive dominance in New Orleans, suggesting he knew what his hand-picked quarterback should look like.

Payton screwed up in the first few weeks, trying to make Nix drink from a fire hose with endless dropbacks. But after the first two defeats, the two met in the middle. There was an appreciation for his athleticism – he runs better than scouts expected – and for his strength. When Nix yelled at Payton on the sidelines on Oct. 6 — which the coach appreciated — he showed why he was the starter.

Everything since then has shown why he is clearly the future. He has been the Broncos’ best player on the field since late October.

But, but, but, he can’t throw downfield. Really? That’s funny. He has 716 yards, four touchdowns, zero interceptions and a 126.9 rating on passes of more than 10 yards over the last five games, according to Fox Sports.

This includes multiple darts between the numbers and layered defenders like Courtland Sutton and Devaughn Vele. But that wasn’t part of the script, was it? Try again. Nix delivered these lasers out of his pocket.

Listen, he’s not perfect. He will have bad games. But do you remember what life was like with Trevor Siemian, Brock Osweiler, Case Keenum, Joe Flacco and Teddy Bridgewater? Worse, some of the same people who were druthers for Drew Lock refuse to acknowledge Nix’s development.

Make it make sense.

Nix has four games with a 70% completion rate with at least two touchdown passes and no picks. Do you know how many Broncos quarterbacks have done that since Peyton? Zero. Lock did it once in 24 games. Wilson twice in 30 starts.

When Keenum missed Demaryius Thomas sprinting down the sideline, when Flacco looked like he’d never seen lightning before, when Brandon Allen couldn’t throw the ball into the wind, when Paxton Lynch showed up late and left early, Broncos had country that done fever dreams about the kind of statistics Nix compiles.

Still, I can’t go to my Twitter timeline or turn on the radio without hearing someone disparage Nix or speak up for Wilson.

Yes, Wilson was functional last year and made great plays scribbling outside the lines. But the Broncos stunk in goal-to-goal situations and were terrible in the red zone. When the Broncos beat the Chiefs last October, Payton had seen enough. He was over the veteran and viewed his style of play as untenable due to a lack of timed throws and endless sacks (45 in 15 games). Compare that to Nix, who is at 27.

Payton opted to absorb a dead cap hit of $53 million this season and $32 million next year to cut Wilson. This was unusual, but not surprising given how this relationship has deteriorated. Would you rather they stayed together for the kids and delayed the divorce until after this season, when draft quarterbacks Two Men (Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward) and Four Maybes (Jalen Milroe, Quinn Ewers, Garrett Nussmeier and Carson Beck). ) are? ?

It’s okay to take a deep breath, trust your eyes and the numbers, and admit that Nix is playing well. If you still put him down, the problem is with you, not him.

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

Tags:Bo Nix, Broncos quarterbacks, Russell Wilson. Peyton Manning, Sean Payton, Troy Renck

Related Posts

About The Author

Taylor Reeves

Add a Comment