Broncos QB Bo Nix remains optimistic after shaky rookie debut

Bo Nix searches for the beauty behind the madness of his rookie debut.

The Broncos starting quarterback doesn’t dwell on the two interceptions or throwing for only 138 yards on 42 attempts in the loss to Seattle in Week 1. Nix takes pride in the good moments–even if those were few–with the hope of a better outcome on Sunday against the Steelers.

“It was a great game of learning,” said an optimistic Nix after Wednesday’s practice. “I think the film was positive. When you (go) back, you see there were opportunities and we just gotta capitalize in a few more areas.”

Two scoring drives on Sunday is one of the reasons Nix is confident that he can produce better results moving forward. In the final seconds of the second quarter, Nix made a back shoulder pass to wide receiver Josh Reynolds for a 25-yard gain to set up a 45-yard field goal from kicker Wil Lutz.

The Broncos were desperate for points in the fourth quarter when Nix engineered a 7-play, 54-yard scoring drive. Positioned at Seattle’s 14, Nix completed a 10-yard pass to wide receiver Courtland Sutton on a slant route before scrambling for a 4-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 26-20 with 2:17 left in regulation.

“Those moments were critical in the game,” Nix said. “They provided points and big opportunities. Our two two-minute drives actually turned into 10 points. We just have to find more ways to do that the rest of the time.”

Nix’s accuracy was questionable, as he was off-target on a handful of throws. But his mobility was impressive. He finished five carries for 35 yards (seven yards per attempt), drawing praise from Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin.

“I was somewhat surprised by his quarterback mobility,” Tomlin told reporters on Tuesday. “I thought he was highly effective.”

Across the league, rookie quarterbacks had their fair share of growing pains in Week 1. Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, the first overall pick, went 14 for 29 with 93 yards and a passer rating of 55.7 in the win over Tennessee.

Commanders’ Jayden Daniels, the second overall pick, had the best performance out of the three quarterbacks, completing 17 of 24 passes for 184 yards while rushing for 88 and two scores.

That’s not an excuse for Nix’s performance. It’s a reminder to have patience.

Inside the visiting locker room in Seattle, Sutton approached Nix to offer words of encouragement. He reminded his teammate of the constant momentum swings in the NFL, and not every game is going to be his masterpiece.

“Bo is a student of the game,” Sutton said. “I’m sure he has his things that he took from the game that he wants back and things that he thought he did well that he wants to continue to progress on. There’s a lot of hope and promise moving forward.”

Sutton said Nix did a good job of staying composed in a hostile environment and handling the flow of the game. Head coach Sean Payton shared similar sentiments. From an operational standpoint, Payton said the offense ran smoothly.

Nix said nothing surprised him about his debut. He thought the offense was efficient with the play calls in the huddle and didn’t let the crowd noise affect them.

“We just have to be louder on the cadence, but I thought other than that, guys lined up correctly (and) we didn’t (really) have mental errors,” Nix said. “On the road like that, that’ll save you a lot of extra yards.”

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