Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix did everything right on the team’s final drive against the Kansas City Chief last week.
Nix went 43 yards on 13 plays and picked up a key third down that allowed the Broncos to get within easy field goal range while winding down the clock. The ensuing field goal attempt was blocked, but Nix put the team in position to win the game.
“There are these steps,” Denver coach Sean Payton said of Nix’s progress. “They’ll be some more adversity, but there is a poise with him. I think his teammates in the huddle talk about it. The third-down play was significant because right at that moment, then we controlled everything. The clock [and] the game.
“It was funny after the game; you’re going across the field and I see Andy [Reid] and a few of the other guys. I see Patrick [Mahomes] and knowing him and just turned to me and said, ‘You got one.’ I think he told Bo, ‘We’re going to have a lot of good games.’ That’s something coming from him. We continue to look at the things that he does well and try to feature those things as he progresses into some of the things that he’s going to need to do. Yeah, we’re really encouraged.”
Nix finished the game with a 73.3% completion rate, 215 passing yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers, good for a 115.3 passer rating.
“I told him after the game that I was super proud of him,” wide receiver Courtland Sutton said. “Obviously, we didn’t get the win, but the way he handled that game [by] going into hostile territory, playing against the defending champs and playing against a really good defense and defensive coordinator, he handled the game really well. For a young guy and especially a rookie to go into Arrowhead and manage the game the way he did and manage that two-minute drill the way that he did, that is all you can ask for.
“He went in there and did what he was supposed to do. He gave us a chance to go down there and get points to win the game. He handled it really well. He’s continuing to show signs — each week, I tell you guys he shows signs of the maturity level and the promise that is there. That’s what he showed in that game. He did a really good job of managing it, like I said. That’s all you can really ask for.”
Nix has completed 63.6% of his passes this fall for 1,968 yards with 10 touchdowns against six interceptions. He has also rushed for 290 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. Nix continues to progress and he has the Broncos in position to contend for a playoff spot this season. As Sutton said, you can’t ask for more than that from the rookie QB.
