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Bo Nix Turns Broncos Doubters Into Believers With Win Over Falcons

The quarterback's spectacular stats only tell part of the tale.
November 18, 2024
Image: Broncos quarterback after game
Bo Nix allowed himself a smile in a post-game interview following the Broncos' win over the Falcons on November 17. NFL on Fox via YouTube
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The Denver Broncos had an excellent chance to crater on November 17. The team was coming off two defeats, including a last-second fail to Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs so gut-twisting that many members of Broncos Country were still feeling nauseous a week later. Coming up short a third consecutive time, this round to the NFC South-leading Atlanta Falcons, would have made the Broncos' playoff dreams read like a new definition of "fantasy football."

Instead, Denver de-taloned the Falcons 38-6 in an Empower Field at Mile High victory that kept those post-season hopes alive, even as it transformed doubters of rookie quarterback Bo Nix into raving Bo-Ners.

True Bo believers were in short supply at the beginning of the season. Nix may have been the twelfth overall pick in this year's NFL draft, but five other QBs were taken ahead of him, and pundits aplenty saw his pick as an act of desperation by head coach Sean Payton and the Broncos brain trust. Moreover, his performances in the initial two matchups of the current campaign, both losses, would have made him seem overrated if he'd been that highly regarded in the first place — and while his play improved in the contests that followed, he was at his best against competition so mediocre (e.g., the Carolina Panthers) that those teams would have been in danger of relegation if that rule existed in the National Football League.

True, Nix put up good numbers against the Chiefs — but that didn't add a digit in the win column.

This narrative changed quickly on Sunday. Denver got the ball first, and after a couple of downs that resulted in a net gain of one yard, Nix connected with receiver Courtland Sutton for a sixteen-yard gain. Three more completions later, and tight end Nate Adkins was in the end zone less than five minutes after the opening whistle.

The pleasure cruise didn't immediately continue. Denver's vaunted defense allowed Falcons signal-caller Kirk Cousins to march his charges down the field with alacrity, and they likely would have evened the score had not a pair of penalties squelched their momentum and forced them to kick a 41-yard field goal instead. Denver countered with a three-and-out that handed the ball back to Cousins. This time, though, the Falcons stumbled, too, and Nix's flame was re-lit. He completed five passes on the resultant drive before running back Javonte Williams was pushed past the goal line, rugby-scrum style.

From there, the rout was on, and Nix deserves most of the credit. His overall stats — 28 of 33 for 307 yards and four touchdowns — were spectacular, but they only tell part of the tale. Even in his better games, Nix has had a tendency toward inaccuracy, particularly when it comes to passes that go beyond the line of scrimmage. But this time around, the overwhelming majority of throws were spot-on, and some were downright gorgeous, including an over-the-middle throw through what seemed like a hummingbird-sized window and a variation on a basketball floater that qualified as a perfect swish.

In short, Nix looked like the quarterback of Denver's long-term future — after eight consecutive years of disappointment. And this judgment was only reinforced when Cousins was benched in the fourth quarter in favor of Michael Penix Jr., one of the quarterbacks drafted ahead of Bo. Penix's only duty was to run out the string.

Given that the W only succeeded in pushing the Broncos' record over .500 again, to 6-5, a playoff berth isn't guaranteed. Still, Denver's schedule is favorable, with the next three opponents — the Las Vegas Raiders, the Cleveland Browns and the Indianapolis Colts — hardly constituting a Murderers' Row. Now Nix just has to build on his achievements against the Falcons — and judging by the reaction of fans posting on X, optimism is overflowing.

Count down our twenty favorite takes below, including a couple in which followers of other teams lament that their squads didn't draft Nix and a concluding take that will no doubt please Oscar Mayer.

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Image: Michael Roberts
Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.
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