Mile High Sports

Bo Nix hasn’t thrown a touchdown, neither has Caleb Williams or Jayden Daniels

Rich Kurtzman
Bo Nix searches for an open receiver.

Bo Nix searches for an open receiver. Credit: Ron Chenoy, USA TODAY Sports.

Bo Nix hasn’t thrown a touchdown in his first two NFL games. That’s a somewhat alarming statistic.

But, if you’re a Denver Broncos fan on the edge of panic, zoom out for a second.

No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams hasn’t thrown a TD either. Nor has Jayden Daniels, the No. 2 overall pick from April’s NFL Draft.

Bo Nix hasn’t thrown a touchdown as Denver Broncos offense struggles mightily

At 0-2, one of the biggest concerns for the Broncos is their offense. Specifically, when it comes to scoring.

Denver was dead last in scoring (16.9 PPG) in 2022, saw a marked improvement last year (19th, 21.0 PPG), but are slumping again this year. Through two games, the Broncos are 29th in scoring, at a mere 13.0 points per game currently.

The Broncos’ offensive woes were on full display in the 13-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

Trailing 10-0 in the second quarter, Denver finally got some momentum with the ball in their hands. After a trick play turned into an explosive 49-yard gain, Nix threw an interception in the end zone.

It was an awful throw, one which squandered the team’s best drive of the day to that point.

“We had a mistake in the route, too, so there are some dirty hands on that play,” head coach Sean Payton said of the pick.

“That falls on me,” Nix said. “That was just a bad decision. [You] can’t have that.”

Nix tried to force a pass into Courtland Sutton in the red zone for the second time in two weeks, each of them resulting in backbreaking interceptions.

Through the first two weeks of his NFL career, Bo Nix’s stats are sad. He’s 46-77 (59.7%), for 384 yards, 0 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, 4 sacks. He’s also Denver’s leading rusher with 60 yards on the ground and one score.

That one rushing touchdown is the Broncos’ only TD of the year, so far. And his completion percentage is a far cry from his college days, putting him at 23rd among QBs this year.

Nix is in good company among rookie QBs struggling

Last April, six quarterbacks were selected in the first round.

Nix, Caleb Williams, and Jayden Daniels are all starting for their respective teams. Meanwhile, J.J. McCarthy was injured before the season started, while Drake Maye and Michael Penix each wait their turn on the bench.

And while Broncos fans know Bo Nix hasn’t thrown a touchdown, neither have the more celebrated Williams or Daniels.

Daniels is playing the best football of the three, so far. His passing stats: 40-53 (75.5%) for 410 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT, 7 sacks. He’s also run for 132 yards (5.1 YPC) and 2 touchdowns.

Williams, who was filmed closely on Hard Knocks, has been second-best among the rookies, with Nix last. Williams’ passing stats: 37-56 (56.1%) for 267 yards, 0 TD, 2 INTs, 9 sacks. He’s run for 59 yards with a fumble.

If we look at passer rating and QBR, it’s still Daniels (97.2 Rating, 46.4 QBR), Williams (53.0, 29.0), Nix (51.0, 35.4) in that order.

Ultimately, none of the three rookies are playing great football. And each of them need to step up, continue to develop their game over the course of the year and into next season.

What does Nix need to do, specifically, to improve?

“It’s developing the confidence of climbing, developing the confidence within the framework of your protection,” Payton said on Monday. “He does have a good pocket presence for the most part. He’s not someone that’s just going to look to take off and look to scramble. So we’ve got to build on that and make sure it kind of begins with that, relative to the design of what you’re trying to do in the drop-back passing game.”

And even though there’s a small sample size, Payton sees progress in Nix’s game.

“I thought he processed pretty quickly yesterday,” the head coach said. “I thought he got into some of his progressions really well.”

 

It also may be time to examine Payton’s place in the awful offense.

Next week, Nix has another chance to throw his first NFL touchdown against the 2-0 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That game kicks off at 11 a.m. MDT in Tampa.

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