Drew Brees revealed what has changed with Bo Nix over these past few weeks
NFL legend Drew Brees revealed the cause of quarterback Bo Nix's superb performance against the Atlanta Falcons. The Denver Broncos' rookie QB, who plays under Brees' former coach Sean Payton, completed 84.9% of his passes for 307 yards and four touchdowns in Denver's 38-6 win.
The Broncos are now firmly in the driver's seat for a playoff spot in the AFC and have a young quarterback who is rapidly improving. Brees revealed in an interview with Fox Sports talk show host Colin Cowherd what the turning point for Bo Nix was.
“The biggest thing for Bo Nix is what happened last week against the Kansas City Chiefs. Even though they lost that game, it was through no fault of his own. He put his team in a position to win that game, and they got the field goal blocked. But from a confidence perspective, they basically went into Arrowhead playing against the gold standard of organizations over the last few years, and he put his team in a position to win that game. So I think coming into this game, I think his confidence level was just at another level.”
The Denver Broncos are hitting their stride at the perfect time
Drew Brees is no stranger to being successful under Sean Payton. The future hall-of-fame QB spent 15 years with the Broncos head coach and became one of the most decorated quarterbacks in NFL history. Brees' comments on Nix are very encouraging, as it's clear that as long as the rookie's confidence grows, he can become an elite quarterback. In addition, the former Oregon Duck has the right attitude based on his reaction to the Chiefs' loss.
At 6-5 and the seventh seed in the AFC, the Broncos are surprisingly in good shape to clinch a playoff berth. That sentiment comes with looking at Denver's remaining schedule. Sean Payton's team will face mostly sub-.500 to close the season. Those franchises include the Las Vegas Raiders, Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, and Cincinnati Bengals.
The matchups against the Bengals and Colts could determine if the Broncos make the playoffs for the first time since winning the Super Bowl in 2015. The Colts are coming off a significant win against the New York Jets and are only a game behind Bo Nix and company. Cincinnati is two games out of the last playoff slot, but Joe Burrow's Bengals still believe it can return to the postseason.
While the Broncos' chances of winning the AFC West are practically over, they can definitely move up in the conference standings. The two teams currently ahead of them are the 7-3 Los Angeles Chargers and 7-4 Baltimore Ravens. Both squads will face off on Monday Night Football on November 25. Denver is also set to play Los Angeles later in the season on December 22.
Overall, the Broncos' strength this year has been their elite defense. Denver is currently third in the NFL in scoring defense at 16.6 points per game. Should Bo Nix continue his trajectory over these past few weeks, not only can this franchise return to the playoffs, but Denver can also make a postseason run that will shock the entire NFL.
