It wasn't pretty, but the Denver Broncos started the 2025 NFL season with a win. Denver leaned on its running game and defense, defeating Tennessee 20-12 on Sunday. But their second-year quarterback is now the target of criticism after a forgettable Week 1 performance.
Broncos QB Bo Nix came under fire on The Bill Simmons Podcast for his lackluster stats against the Titans.
Simmons critiqued Nix both as a fantasy football option and a real NFL quarterback.
“He wasn’t a top five fantasy QB but he was kind of right there. Like, ‘Oh if I can get Bo Nix I’m good.’ He was awful in that Tennessee game,” Simmons said on Monday. “Like really bad. And the Broncos in general, the offense was alarmingly bad. But I thought he was bad. This is the Bo Nix we were worried about when he was coming out of college. So I’m going to be, I’m at least a five for my Super Bowl fringe contender Broncos hopes that I had and them to win that division and all that stuff.”
For context, Nix went 25-of-40 for 176 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions on Sunday.
Nix and the Broncos received a ton of hype during the preseason.
Broncos head coach Sean Payton is more guilty than most. He repeatedly pumped up Nix to reporters throughout the summer. That increased expectations on the young quarterback.
Simmons, by his own admission, got caught up in the hype. Now he is worried that it might look foolish later this season.
Why Dan Orlovsky thinks Broncos' Bo Nix will “take a jump” during 2025 NFL season
Was there ever anything to the Bo Nix hype?
ESPN's Dan Orlovsky certainly thinks so.
Orlovsky made a sound argument for why Nix could take the leap in 2025 ahead of the regular season.
“There are three things I think all quarterbacks (specifically young ones) need to play at a really high level: 1. Do you have the scheme and the play-caller? To really hurt defenses. Check. 2. Do you have the offensive line to give you the time to do it? Check. 3. Do you have the proper amount of weapons to get the football to? I think yes. I think Nix is going to have a really, really good year.”
Orlovsky's case for Nix is compelling because it highlights that the young quarterback does have everything he needs to succeed in Denver.
Now Nix and the Broncos just have to prove the doubters wrong.
Next up for Denver is a road game against Indianapolis in Week 2.
