As the Denver Broncos emerge from their bye week, all eyes are on Bo Nix. The Broncos are in a position unique to the team in the post-Super Bowl era.
Nix has led the Broncos to an 8-5 start and a two-game lead in the race for the seventh and final seed in the AFC playoffs. And now, with the Los Angeles Chargers also falling to 8-5, the Broncos have a chance to climb the AFC seeding.
The Broncos' rookie quarterback has been a revelation. After a somewhat slow start to the season, Nix found his groove in October, leading the Broncos out of a 2-2 start and earning Offensive Rookie of the Month honors.
Nix would follow that up with three straight Offensive Rookie of the Week nods in November, and yet, he somehow still lost out to Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers in the Rookie of the Month sweepstakes. Undaunted, Nix has his eye on the prize: snapping the Broncos' eight-year playoff drought in his first season in Denver.
With all the accolades has come a significant rise in media profile and cache. Nix is being talked about nationally, and it's all combined to see him narrow the odds margin for Offensive Rookie of the Year with Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, who, for what it's worth, was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
Nix has a great case for the ORoY award. Yes, there are still four games left to go, but entering Week 15, Nix leads all rookie quarterbacks in four key stastical areas:
- Passing TDs: 17
- Offensive TDs: 22
- Passing yards: 2,842
- Completions: 277
Nix is on pace for 22 passing touchdowns and 3,716 yards. He'll probably finish somewhere around 28-30 total touchdowns, counting his rushing production, and that receiving score he hauled in from Courtland Sutton in Baltimore.
The rookie's October body of work was formidable, but what he did in November was even more impressive, which makes the NFL's decision to give the monthly award to Bowers all the more conspicuous.
Next up, Nix will lead the Broncos against the Indianapolis Colts at home, followed by a two-game road trip to take on the Chargers and Cincinnati Bengals, and closing the season at home vs. the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs have already clinched the AFC West, and by the time Week 18 rolls around, there's a good chance Andy Reid will be resting his starters.
A 3-1 finish would put the Broncos at 11-6 on the season. That would guarantee a playoff berth. A 2-2 finish would put Denver at 10-7, and still very likely the No. 7 seed in the AFC.
However, losing two of the final four games would risk the Broncos losing control of their playoff destiny, depending on how other teams vying for the seventh seed pan out. Right now, that's not something Nix and Sean Payton want to countenance, so while the Broncos do face some "looming questions" coming out of the bye, look for the team to hit the ground running on Sunday at Empower Field at Mile High vs. the equally rested Colts.
