Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix has rushed 18 times for 107 yards and two touchdowns through his first three games in the NFL, putting him in impressive company among the best running QBs in franchise history.
Nix has the most rushing yards and rushing touchdowns through his first three games among all QBs in Denver’s history. In a 26-7 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Nix became just the third rookie quarterback in franchise history to throw for at least 200 yards and run for at least 45 yards in the same game, joining Tim Tebow (once 2011) and Marlin Briscoe (twice in 1968).
“We got to a few quarterback read runs which — they load the front, so how do you get your number back? Well one way of doing that is your quarterback becomes a threat,” coach Sean Payton said Monday. “There were two or three instances where it might have been a give to [Tyler] Badie or a keep. I think there were a couple of designs that helped us, and then we blocked it well.”
Tebow had the team’s best rushing season by a quarterback in 2011 when he totaled 660 yards on the ground and scored six touchdown touchdowns. At his current pace of 35.7 yards per game, Nix is on pace to finish just below Tebow’s yardage (607). Nix is also on track for 11 rushing touchdowns, but that pace seems likely to dip, especially if he starts throwing TD passes.
Nix’s 107 rushing yards rank seventh through three games and his two rushing touchdowns are tied for second with Josh Allen behind Jayden Daniels (three).
Nix isn’t running enough to pass Tebow’s rushing record, but the rookie quarterback is on pace to have the second-best rushing season by a QB in franchise history. Expect Nix to continue making plays with his legs.
