Bo Nix checked into the play that sprung Evan Engram on the 41-yard gain in overtime against the Commanders.
It was the biggest play of the day for the Denver Broncos offense, and it came at the perfect time.
The thing is, Sean Payton didn’t call the play; Bo Nix changed the call at the line at the exact right time.
Bo Nix checked into the 41-yard pass to Evan Engram
Bo Nix was brilliant in overtime against the Commanders on Sunday night, and his best play of the period was the one to Engram.
What made it so great?
First, Nix read the defense. Then, he checked into a new play, the “jerk” as Chase Daniel explains below. Finally, he threw a perfect ball that led the big tight end and let him open up into a full gallop down the field.
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Yes, Sean Payton’s allowed Nix to check out of plays in the past, but it’s significant he allowed him to do so during this overtime drive.
“We didn’t know Evan [Engram] was going to catch that 40-yard completion,” Payton explained on Wednesday about the Nix-to-Engram throw. “We’re at the line, and Bo Nix has a menu. He gets us to the right play, and then bam, it’s Evan’s play. If they play a different coverage, it might be Sutton’s play. Part of that is the menu of what he’s getting to. It was a fantastic route, but more impressive was just the speed. I think it was like three or four completions and then the run.”
Payton’s explaining here how, while NFL offenses are incredibly complex, there’s usually one or maybe two guys the play is designed to go to. All the other receivers are basically decoys.
“There are going to be certain coverages. We got a great coverage look in the empty the other night for his isolation route,” Payton continued. “It’s about looking at the gameplan, looking at… There are certain throws that have certain guys’ names on them. It doesn’t necessarily mean it always goes to them. He’s one of the guys that we want to have ‘X’ amount of targets to. I think the thing he does really well is run and run after the catch.”
Engram said of the game, “It definitely felt good to go out there and contribute and make some plays for the guys.”
Nix checking into the right play with all the pressure on his shoulders is a strong indication of his growth as a quarterback, now in the second half of his second season. There have been some questions about if the game is moving too fast for him to process well enough to win. And yet, Nix just put together two straight solid games.
This week, he should flourish in the passing game as the 10-2 Broncos head to Las Vegas to play the bad Raiders (2-10) and their middling pass defense. Broncos – Raiders kicks off at 2:05 p.m. MT on Sunday, Dec. 7 on CBS.
