Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix impressed in his preseason debut against the Indianapolis Colts, which they won 34-30. Despite coming off the bench, Nix played well enough to earn consideration of a starting job over current starter Jarrett Stidham sometime in the next season. Stidham went to the bench in the first quarter, and Nix took the ball and ran with it, completing 15 of 21 passes for 125 yards. Likewise, he rushed three times for 17 yards and led three scoring drives.
In the second quarter, Nix also threw his first touchdown pass to Marvin Mims Jr. in the end zone. After the game, Mims reacted to Nix's gesture after the score that further endeared the rookie to Broncos fans.
“I tried giving Bo Nix the ball afterwards but I think he gave it back to the refs,” Mims Jr. told reporters, per Ryan McFadden on X, formerly Twitter. “So he is waiting for that first regular season (touchdown), I guess.”
The Broncos' performance
After this performance, the 12th overall draft pick Bo Nix promises to be the long-awaited and long-term solution for the Broncos' problems at quarterback. Helping the Broncos beat the Colts might even convince head coach Sean Payton to give him the starting nod in their season opener versus the Seattle Seahawks. This development is unfortunate news for Stidham, though, who played a respectable game, with 4 of 7 and 57 yards plus one interception.
Still, Nix didn't play the perfect game. He made some rushed throws and fumbled a center-quarterback exchange, but these were nothing a few in-game reps couldn't fix. After Sunday, Nix poses an interesting problem for the Broncos in the preseason. Do they sit him behind Stidham for development purposes, or do they throw him into the fire and take his bumps on the field? Likewise, could the team afford living with Nix's potential rookie mistakes?
Outlook for the new season
The Broncos want to recover from the disastrous 2023 season with former QB Russell Wilson, now with the Pittsburgh Steelers. With Wilson as starter, the team allowed 52 sacks all season, which put them in the bottom half of the league. His last season there was so bad the team decided to take an $85-million hit in dead-money to their salary cap to release him.
“That was a big issue for us a year ago with the minus plays,” Payton said. “We were towards the back–back half of the league–I think fourth. So, I was pleased with the timing of what we were doing throwing the ball.”
If they manage to settle questions with Nix, the Broncos could bounce back from another disappointing season. They had logged their seventh-straight losing season in 2023, where they missed the playoffs for the eighth consecutive year, winning only two of their last six games last season. The Broncos even benched Wilson in their final two games.
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