Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix and the offense overcame some low points in the first half of Sunday’s 34-18 win against the Las Vegas Raiders and showcased evident areas of growth that led to a second half explosion.
Denver Broncos QB Bo Nix continues to grow after Week 5
It’s time we have a serious conversation, Broncos Country. Look, we all understand that the quarterback carousel that has previously defined this team has ruined the perception of the position. After years of bandaid solutions and failed experiments, the Broncos took the path of drafting a QB in the first round, something they haven’t done since Paxton Lynch in 2016.
Lynch sputtered out, and the fanbase has long been clamoring for Denver to take a QB in the first round. They did that in April with Bo Nix, and we’re seeing the process play out some promising developments.
Nix’s start through the first two weeks was rough, having four interceptions and zero passing touchdowns while Denver sat at 0-2. Then he goes on the road in Week 3 against a tough Tampa Bay Buccaneers team, and put together a strong performance on the ground and through the air, protecting the football and not getting sacked. In Week 4, he and the Broncos’ offense struggled through the air while dealing with the remnants of a hurricane, and while he only threw for 60 yards, he was the only quarterback who threw a touchdown in the game that led his team to victory.
Nix and the offense shook off a slow start in the first half — one that saw them go 1-for-6 on third down, experience four penalties, two sacks, and only 40 yards rushing. Nobody’s talking about how his 19-yard connection with Troy Franklin helped set up a field goal right before halftime that gave Denver a 13-10 lead, with the chance to get the ball back in the second half.
He was 10-of-16 passing for 105 yards at halftime. Denver’s offense also struggled on first and second down in the first half, but everything changed in the second half. For the second consecutive week, Denver’s offense scored on their second offensive drive of the second half, on a six-play drive that was set up by Marvin Mims’ 38-yard return.
From that point forward, Nix got into rhythm in the quick passing game, and at times had a clean pocket — where he found Courtland Sutton on a beautiful outside throw down the left sideline, an eventual QB sneak TD, and Josh Reynolds for a nine-yard touchdown that capped off Nix’s three touchdown day.
So where is he growing? His decision-making was efficient once again, and he didn’t put the ball in harm’s way, protecting the football in three straight games. He became more decisive once Denver had some rhythm in the run game going, finishing 19-of-27 passing for 206 yards, two passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown, and a 117.2 passer rating.
Nix was able to overcome the pressure of Maxx Crosby, who had his fair share of moments talking to him and trying to play mind games, en route to 34 unanswered points on Sunday. Some fans are so quick to write the obituary on who Nix can be or who he is in just one quarter or one-half of play while missing out on the reality that he’s a rookie.
Sunday’s win was historic for the rookie QB and the franchise, with their third win in a row, Nix became the first rookie in franchise history to win three straight starts. He also became just the second Broncos’ rookie QB to record multiple throwing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown in a game, joining former QB Tim Tebow in 2010 who did it vs. the Chargers.
“Yes, that was huge,” Nix said. “You could definitely tell during the game the intensity. It was very high, both teams were playing hard. It was a physical football game going back-and-forth there at the beginning. I thought our crowd kind of helped us in the second half. They were huge. That’s what I was expecting coming here. That was outstanding. It’s huge when you can get a homefield advantage like that. I think it does affect the other team. It kind of has to. There’s a lot that goes into noise and your communication from the away team. I think that was huge. Definitely expect that moving forward. We give them something to cheer about, and they’re loud the whole game. So that was really good to see.”
Bo Nix is going to make mistakes, and he’s going to have some bad games, but as long as he continues to make good decisions and showcase positive growth on a week-to-week basis, he may just eventually become the guy the Broncos have been looking for, but this fanbase has to be patient.
Is that too much to ask for? Let him keep growing.
