Bo Nix is exactly who you want him to be.
He is athletic, mature, smart and unimpressed with himself. The Broncos quarterback made his home debut on Sunday night, facing suffocating pressure for a preseason game, and played like it was Saturday afternoon in Oregon.
Nix is no longer in the mix. He is the fix.
This game didn’t count, except it meant everything for answering the question Broncos Country had: Is Nix ready to start the season opener on Sept. 8 at Seattle and lead this team into the future? The answer is a convincing (bleep) yes.
This game played out exactly how the Broncos needed. They have resided in quarterback purgatory since Peyton Manning retired.
They tried longshots, reclamation projects and two former Super Bowl champions — Joe Flacco and Russell Wilson. It wasn’t that they didn’t work. They were awful in a way that caused a once-proud franchise to drift into the shadows, only emerging nationally as a punch line when they played a COVID game with no quarterbacks or needed the home crowd to count down the play clock.
Finally, Broncos fans, it is safe to peek your head above the covers.
The Broncos have their quarterback. Listen, I am not suspicious of late arrivals to the Bo bandwagon. The last eight years have created healthy skepticism. You have earned the right to tip-toe into the parking lot and slowly fasten your seatbelt.
And yet, there was an obvious conclusion after watching Nix play two drives on Sunday: This can work.
None of it was perfect, but all of it was functional. One salient point gets overlooked when critics insist Nix isn’t ready: His ascension is as much about the fit as his skillset.
Just like when college coaches recruit kids for their system, Sean Payton sought out Nix for his offense. He checks all the boxes: quick release, accurate and mobile enough to avoid sacks. Payton didn’t name him the starter after the game. He was never going to do that. But it is a foregone conclusion.
The Nix I witnessed dice up the Packers starters on Friday looked even better against their second-stringers. He completed 8 of 9 passes for 80 yards and a touchdown. Through two games he is 23 of 30 for 205 yards, two scores and 29 yards rushing. Even better are his numbers on third down: 6 of 8 for 72 yards.
This is what hope looks like. Nobody is saying Walt Disney is writing this script. But it sure beats the Wes Craven movie we’ve all been watching.
Everything fell into place for Nix.
It started with a 3:30 p.m. arrival on the field for warmups and his stretch routine. At 5:12 p.m., the Jumbotron showed a young boy donning a No. 10 Oregon jersey and Ducks bucket hat screaming in delight. Speckled throughout the stadium, there were fans wearing Nix Broncos jerseys in orange, navy blue and white.
When he finally took the field at 6:12, the crowd of 63,888 erupted. You don’t have to be convinced he is the answer, but you have to be impressed.
On his first drive, same as in Indianapolis, Nix looked antsy. He was getting through his first read and not letting things completely develop. But watching those early downs back, it could have been by design. Nix grew more comfortable in his second possession. Even more encouraging, Payton clearly enjoys scheming plays for him.
He’s not asking Nix to go through four-read progressions. Why make it calculus if the player isn’t ready to be Will Hunting? Payton established the run, which figures to be the foundation of this offense, if not the identity of the team. Then he used play-action to stem the Packers’ aggression and sprinkled in well-timed bootleg concepts and half-field reads. It reminded me of how coach Mike Shanahan if reluctantly, found his rhythm for a few seasons with Jake Plummer.
“We were keeping it within my comfort level. And that’s huge, especially for someone who’s trying to get in there and execute,” said Nix following the Broncos’ 27-2 win. “We do a good job of getting prepared during the week. Yeah I messed up a few plays, but you definitely want to execute more than you mess up and that’s what we were able to do.”
Nix’s performance these past two weeks goes beyond the box score. Did you notice his demeanor? He looks unflappable. And his teammates are noticing and responding to him. Playing and failing at Auburn and reviving his career at Oregon has provided Nix with an interesting perspective.
“I learned early in college that the more pressure you put on yourself, the tougher it is to go out there and play free,” Nix told me on Friday. “Over the past couple of seasons, I feel like I’ve played free. That’s contributed to the good days. There’s enough pressure on you already, so you might as well just go out there and have fun.”
That was the overriding theme Sunday. The fans were enjoying themselves. They booed when Russell Wilson appeared on the Jumbotron with the Steelers. The Broncos’ one-time savior took three sacks on his first three drives for Pittsburgh on Saturday night. Nix has zero for the preseason.
At one point in the first half, an orange balloon floated onto the field. The referee flicked it away and it ended up in receiver Courtland Sutton’s hands on the sideline. He instinctively raised the balloon to the cheering crowd.
And guess what? It didn’t pop. Simply put, Nix’s first home game was just like that.
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