Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos are ahead of schedule.
While much of the 2024 NFL Draft noise was centred around two Heisman-winning quarterbacks taken earlier than Nix – Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels – it has been the 12th overall pick who is impressing most in recent weeks.
In his rookie campaign, Nix has thrown for 2,548 yards and 16 touchdowns through 12 weeks of the season.
Last time out, he completed 25 of 42 passes for 273 yards, two touchdowns and a 94.6 passer rating in Denver’s road victory against the Las Vegas Raiders.
That effort earned Nix the NFL’s Rookie of the Week award – his third in a row – and saw him become the first Bronco to ever win the prize in three consecutive weeks.
His three honours this season are the second-most all-time by a Broncos rookie, trailing only former running back Knowshon Moreno, who won the weekly award four times in 2009.
Next up for Nix and the 7-5 Broncos is a home game against the struggling Cleveland Browns in prime time on Monday night.
There is plenty of intrigue around the AFC matchup that could have big implications for the way the playoff race develops over the final six weeks of the 2024 season.
As it stands, Denver are certainly in the playoff picture, currently holding the seventh and final seed in the AFC.
With a 7-5 record, they are well ahead of the next best team, the 6-7 Indianapolis Colts.
A win against the Browns would further cement their spot, and go a long way to help turn hopes of making a postseason run into a reality for a team that is well ahead of schedule.
Speaking to talkSPORT ahead of Monday Night Football, former NFL cornerback Jason Bell suggested that a ‘special and unique’ relationship between Nix and head coach Sean Payton is helping to drive the Broncos forward – and is offering shades of the legendary Drew Brees.
“When this draft pick happened, you think about Sean Payton and everybody was like, as a play caller, a play designer and as a coach, if this is his pick, he is going to make it happen for Bo Nix,” Bell said.
“This is a great situation for (Nix) and you’re seeing it play out. It’s very important for the play caller and play maker to be aligned.
“And if you’re looking at Sean Payton, whatever he tells you, you’re going to do.
“He’s telling you, ‘I’m going to make you a different type of Drew Brees, just trust me, follow my lead and it’s going to work.’
“And you’ve seen that happen every single week, he’s grown, Bo Nix, as a quarterback. He has great command as a young player in this offense.
“It’s a very special and unique relationship. Keeping them two together for a long time, they should have a lot of success. If you’re a Denver Broncos fan, you should be very excited about the future.”
While it has been Nix and the offense taking plaudits in recent weeks, Denver’s defense should not be overlooked.
The Broncos have been smashing their opposition all year, ranking third in the league in points per game allowed (16.8), third in yards per game allowed (296) and first in red-zone touchdown percentage allowed (39.39%).
Denver’s defense also leads the NFL in sacks recorded (44) and sits at 11th in interceptions.
Thanks to success on both sides of the ball, Denver are poised to make the playoffs, and that has left Bell a little surprised.
“I thought they’d have success, but I didn’t think it would be like this,” he admitted.
“What they’re able to do on defence, my goodness. They have a great coaching staff, first of all, but they’ve really pulled this together.”
“What you’re seeing in Denver is this coaching staff that has a lot of experience, that has found a way to get the best players on the field, put them in great positions and they’re growing from week to week.”
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