Denver Broncos v Los Angeles Chargers
Denver Broncos v Los Angeles Chargers
Many believed Broncos‘ first-year play-caller Davis Webb was the catalyst for Denver’s struggles over the first month of the season.
Hopes were high for their Week 5 matchup against the Chargers, with Webb getting benched as the play-caller ahead of the AFC West clash. However, the offense remained stagnant in the narrow 23-17 victory. Naturally, the sights have now been firmly set on Nix.
Nix’s 123 passing yards against Los Angeles were the second-fewest of his career (the only time he had fewer was in a torrential downpour against the Jets during his rookie season). Some have begun to believe that his days in Denver might be numbered.
Sports Illustrated‘s Matt Verderame thinks Denver should move on from him after his rookie contract.
“Nix isn’t good. He hasn’t been good. He’s an average-at-best QB who is given 60 minutes to do anything by a very good defense,” Verderame wrote on X. “If I’m the Broncos, barring major improvement, I’d ride out his rookie deal and move on. There’s no way I’m giving him a massive contract.”
NFL analyst Brett Kollman echoed a similar sentiment. “If it keeps going this way, we are going to have to have a discussion about whether Bo Nix gets his fifth year option picked up,” Kollman wrote. “The numbers aren’t good. The tape isn’t good. Nothing is good outside of a few 4th quarter throws to dig out of holes he helps create.”
Bo Nix Has Struggled Mightily To Begin This Season
Nix looks like a completely different player than the one who nearly led the Broncos to the Super Bowl last season. In fact, you could argue that he’s playing the worst football of his career.
He looked far more comfortable and decisive during his impressive rookie season. With five games under the books, he’s on pace for 3,203 passing yards, 20 passing TDs, and 10 interceptions. That would be 572 fewer yards and nine fewer touchdowns (along with two fewer interceptions) than he had as a rookie.
His lack of success on the ground has been even more surprising. He is on pace for only 119 rushing yards after running for 430 and 356 yards over his first two seasons. It’s fair to question whether his fractured ankle is limiting his confidence in his ability to get loose with his legs.
Sean Payton Thinks Bo Nix Is Playing Too Conservatively
Broncos head coach Sean Payton also thinks Nix’s struggles stem from a lack of confidence in his arm.
“I’ve said to him, ‘man, you’re the guy we wanted here, let’s go. You’ve done a ton of things well,’ ” Payton told reporters when asked where Nix can improve. “I think there’s a lot that goes into that. In that old TV series The Bear where they just said ‘let it rip’, you know I want him to make sure to let it rip.”
Kollman also provided some insight into that conversation via a post on X, saying, “Per NextGenStats, on 57.6% of Denver dropbacks this year, there is a route breaking to the intermediate middle of the field. That’s the third-highest rate in the league, Bo Nix throws to that area on just 11.1% of those dropbacks. The third-lowest target rate in the league.”
That effectively means that the Broncos are calling plays that stretch the field. Nix consistently passes on them, though. That’s something that must change if he wants to turn his season around, and Payton all but confirmed it.
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Jerry Markarian Jerry Markarian is an NFL and college football writer for Heavy covering the Minnesota Vikings and Denver Broncos. He also writes about the Chicago Bears for BearsOnSI. More about Jerry Markarian
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