With all the attention on Patrick Mahomes returning for the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night at Arrowhead Stadium, Bo Nix getting back on the field has taken a backseat.
The Denver Broncos quarterback missed the AFC Championship Game after suffering a right ankle fracture late in a Divisional Round win over Buffalo. The prevailing theory is that had Nix been healthy, the Broncos would have been playing in Santa Clara for the Super Bowl in February.
The QB has been cleared for most of the offseason. Last month, he participated in 14 preseason snaps, dipping his toe in the water. Nix's full return comes Monday night in prime time as the Broncos set out to defend their AFC West title.
"I'm just excited to get out there," Nix said, via the team's official website. "I feel like I'm pacing and feel like I've been in this practice schedule for a long time. It's exciting to go out there and play another team. It's really exciting, and I know that our guys are going to respond well. I feel like I have a great group with me that I'm going in here with. I can't wait."
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In two seasons, Nix has not missed a passing snap in his regular-season career, and Denver was the only team not to have a backup QB attempt a pass in 2024 and 2025, per NFL Research.
Receiver Courtland Sutton said Nix's eagerness to return is obvious.
"He's a competitor, now," Sutton said. "I'm looking forward to watching him go out there. … He's like a mountain lion that's in the zoo that's just pacing. I saw a mountain lion at the Colorado zoo. He was just pacing back and forth, and I was like, 'Y'all don't want that boy to get out. It's not going to be good.' That's what Bo reminds me of."
Nix has led the Broncos to 24 career wins, tied for the most over a player's first two seasons since 1950 (Russell Wilson). Denver is 3-1 versus the Chiefs with Nix as a starter, having lost the first matchup before taking the next three. The club was 1-15 versus K.C. from 2016-2023 before drafting Nix in 2024.
The AFC West champs starting the season off on the road won't be an easy first step in their effort to repeat -- but it's probably better to play Mahomes at Arrowhead early in his return rather than later.