DENVER — Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton usually speaks of analytics — how he digests numbers and makes use of them to mildew the lengthy checklist of selections he should make at each stage of recreation preparation. However these numbers have not been sort to Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix up to now.
The Broncos are 3-2 after their 34-18 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders at Empower Subject at Mile Excessive on Sunday, their third straight win after an 0-2 begin to the season. It marked their first victory over the Raiders since 2019 and their first recreation scoring at the very least 34 factors since 2022. But it surely was additionally the third recreation this season through which Nix did not have a completion of 30 or extra yards.
Payton wasn’t targeted on that final determine, although.
“We begin with lead your group to wins and lead your group to the tip zone,” Payton mentioned when requested for his newest evaluation of Nix. “And I assumed he did a very good job of that; he made some actually good performs along with his toes and he is exhausting to sack. … I assumed he performed properly.”
Whereas Sunday was marked by an animated on-camera change between Payton and Nix, the coach has steadfastly defended and supported his rookie signal-caller since he made the 24-year-old the starter in August. And 7 days after Nix struggled within the rain at MetLife Stadium in opposition to the New York Jets — he had minus-7 passing yards at halftime — Nix seemed extra comfy than he has at any level of his five-game NFL profession. He accomplished 19 of 27 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns with out an interception, whereas additionally operating for a landing. It was the clearest instance of the imaginative and prescient that Payton has laid out for Nix.
Payton has repeatedly mentioned that Nix was prepared for the problem so long as these across the QB did their job as properly. Sunday’s win noticed everybody pitch in, as a franchise-record 11 gamers caught passes from Nix whereas the protection compelled the Raiders to bench beginning quarterback Gardner Minshew and scored on a 100-yard interception return by cornerback Pat Surtain II. Surtain had a second INT, and Riley Moss grabbed one, too.
As extensive receiver Courtland Sutton has mentioned prior to now: “Bo goes to be alright, we simply need to do what we’ve got to do with him. … He will be alright, you may see.”
The Broncos are nonetheless twenty eighth within the league in complete offense (270.6 yards per recreation), tied for twenty second in scoring (19.2 factors per recreation), twenty eighth in passing (163.8 YPG) and thirtieth in passing yards per try (5.2). Nix has simply two completions for greater than 30 yards up to now and is close to the underside of statistical classes comparable to landing passes (three, tied twenty ninth), completion proportion (61.8%, twenty fifth), yards per completion (8.5, thirty first) and QBR (43.0, twenty fifth). So there was purpose to be just a little involved with the first-rounder’s early returns.
However Sunday was prime proof of Payton’s concept that if the collective is robust sufficient, Nix can develop into the remaining and the Broncos can nonetheless win video games.
One opposing normal supervisor mentioned: “[Nix] does loads of issues how Sean desires them finished and he is proven some toughness. The accuracy worries you a bit as a result of he is not pushing the ball downfield a lot and nonetheless the accuracy is not all the time there … however the rookies who play at that place need to be able to battle by it as a result of there will likely be loads of issues to battle by.”
Bo Nix and Sean Payton get into argument on the sideline
Bo Nix and Sean Payton have a heated dialog on the sideline through the Broncos-Raiders recreation.
Payton has constantly lauded Nix’s willingness to battle by each impediment in his path, whether or not or not it’s the primary half in opposition to the Jets or the two-interception performances in every of his first two begins. Payton continuously will get requested about Nix’s confidence, because the offense nonetheless appears to be like low-impact and balky at occasions, and the coach retains providing that it is perhaps the one factor he does not have to fret about along with his rookie QB.
“In some unspecified time in the future we’ll cease with the boldness [questions],” Payton mentioned after the Week 4 win over the Jets. “The child is assured. … I ought to ship him out to dinner with each one in all you and you may see.”
For his half, Nix has been unwavering in an I will-get-through-it type of method. On Sunday, the primary rookie the beginning a season opener for the Broncos since John Elway sported a throwback Elway jersey after the win, once more unafraid of the comparisons and the questions that include the job.
So what’s subsequent? The Los Angeles Chargers, who will face the Broncos this upcoming Sunday in Denver, will certainly be one other check for Nix. Of their first 4 video games — Los Angeles is coming off a bye this previous weekend — the Chargers allowed opposing quarterbacks to finish 4 passes on throws that have been thrown at the very least 20 yards downfield, and opponents had tried solely six such passes in opposition to them. Chargers opponents’ common yards per goal (5.1) can also be the bottom within the league, and their three passing touchdowns allowed are tied for fourth-fewest.
All eyes will likely be on whether or not Nix can construct on his robust exhibiting in opposition to the Raiders and put up numbers in opposition to that Chargers protection, persevering with his improvement in 12 months 1 and exhibiting promise for the longer term.