In a rapid-fire segment during The Herd, Colin Cowherd compared San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy to many other quarterbacks around the league. After a few hit-or-miss hot takes, Cowherd chose Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix over Purdy for the flimsiest reasons.
“[Nix is] slightly [better than Purdy]. [Nix is] the more accurate thrower collegiately. He's starting to settle in. He didn't inherit Kittle and Deebo and Aiyuk and all these wonderful toys to play with. He's basically got Courtland Sutton and cross your fingers. Bo Nix is on a heater. And like C.J. Stroud. He and Bo Nix have a responsibility to rebuild a team. They don't get the luxury seeding on Day 1.”
"He's a more accurate thrower collegiately… He didn't inherit all these Kittle, Deebo, Aiyuk and all these wonderful toys to play with."
— @ColinCowherd picks Bo Nix over Brock Purdy pic.twitter.com/qRblvbPGOi
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) October 11, 2024
Through five games, Bo Nix has 866 yards (173.2 ypg), three touchdowns, four interceptions, 119 rushing yards and three downs. His passer rating is 71.4, and his QB rating is 42.2. Through six games, Brock Purdy has 1,629 yards (271.5 ypg), nine touchdowns, four interceptions, and 127 rushing yards. His passer rating is 100.5, and his QB rating is 70.9.
Broncos rookie Bo Nix still learning to be great

The media's insistence on comparing players and teams only diminishes one at the expense of another. Nix has played well, considering the hand he was dealt. The Broncos entered the season with extremely low expectations and have exceeded them as a team. The 49ers began the season with big expectations and haven't met them as a team. Assigning blame in a team sport is an inexact science, and the inverse is true as well.
Did Bo Nix directly contribute to the Broncos' defense forcing New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers to throw three interceptions? Probably not. Or how about the Broncos 19 sacks (third-most)? Or Denver only allowing 271.2 yards per game (third-best)? The Broncos are also tied for second in points allowed per game (14.6).
To lessen Brock Purdy doesn't make Bo Nix a better player.
Head coach Sean Payton is still ironing out the rough edges of Nix, according to his own comparison to Ferris Bueller when discussing their sideline tiff in last week's game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
“Listen, there's just a little ‘Ferris Bueller' in this player that we gotta get rid of. I'm talking about Bo (Nix) and I love him to death. Sometimes, it's my love language.”
When asked about the fight, Nix had his own version of the story.
“He told me he loved me. I told him I loved him back.”
The Broncos host the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 6 on Sunday, October 13 at 4:05 p.m. EST.