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The Denver Broncos continue to surge as they roll through this season, and the development of their rookie quarterback is a big part of it. Bo Nix is coming on strong over the last few months to give the Broncos a very capable offense to go along with their elite defense.
Nix is playing the best football of his young career right now, and it feels like he gets better, more comfortable and more confident each and every week. He is pushing the ball downfield a little bit more, but he's also taking care of it extremely well. That balance has him in the company of some NFL legends.
Nix is only the fifth quarterback over the last 10 seasons to have a 10-game stretch during a season with 20 or more total touchdowns and two or fewer turnovers, joining Aaron Rodgers (2014, 2021), Drew Brees (2018, 2019), Tom Brady (2016) and Patrick Mahomes (2020), according to Zac Stevens of DNVR Sports. Not a bad list to be on, huh?
Nix played well in what was a slow game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. The Broncos offense couldn't punch the ball in when they got in Raiders territory in the first half on Sunday, but they ended up having a lot of success in the second half. Nix finished the game 25-for-42 with 273 yards and two touchdowns.
Broncos' playoff push is real behind Bo Nix's improvement
While the rest of the chasers in the AFC continue to stumble, the Broncos have created some separation between themselves and the rest of the field for the final AFC Wild Card spot.
Sunday's win against the Raiders, Denver's second in a row, puts the Broncos at 7-5 on the season. The Broncos got some help from the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, who lost to the Detroit Lions to fall to 5-7. The Cincinnati Bengals are sitting at 4-7, and the red-hot Miami Dolphins are now the most dangerous chasing team at 5-6 after three consecutive wins.
In a stunning turn of events that doesn't reflect anybody's preseason predictions, the Broncos look like the best team of that group from top to bottom. They have the best defense out of those four teams without question with a unit capable of shutting down even the best offenses in the league. That group gives this team a high floor and keeps them in almost every game no matter what is happening on the other side of the ball.
Offensively, the Broncos are finally finding an identity. Sean Payton and Bo Nix have built a strong chemistry together, and the Broncos are pulling all the right strings with that unit. The running game has come along and is at least giving them league-average level production, and Denver is letting Courtland Sutton eat in the red zone. Mix that in with Payton's elite screen game and some out-of-structure creation from Nix using his legs, and you have a unit that can piece together drives against most teams.
