Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix has completed 59.7% of his passes for 384 yards with no touchdown passes and four interceptions through the first two games of his NFL career. He has also been sacked four times. Nix’s 51.0 passer rating is second-worst in the NFL, only above Bryce Young (44.1), who was benched by the Carolina Panthers this week.
Despite those terrible stats, Broncos coach Sean Payton believes the rookie quarterback has shown progress over the last two weeks.
“I thought he processed pretty quickly [on Sunday],” Payton said earlier this week. “I thought he got into some of his progressions really well. At the line, he’s in charge of a handful of things and I would agree with him when I watch the tape. … We had a handful of RPOs we executed well. We’ll build on that, but I would agree. I felt like we saw steps and again, I think someone asked me after the game relative to his confidence, I feel a confident player. I think from that standpoint, I’m encouraged.”
Nix’s yards per attempt improved from 3.3 to 7.0 from Week 1 to Week 2. His passing yards also improved from 138 to 246. Those are small improvements, but even small improvement is a step in the right direction.
It’s also worth noting that even Caleb Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, is off to a slow start this season with no touchdowns and two interceptions. Young quarterbacks need time to develop, and Denver will let Nix work through his rookie growing pains.
Yes, Nix has struggled, but he also made small progress from Game 1 to Game 2. If that progress continues — even at a slow pace — Nix will trend in the right direction. In the meantime, fans will need to be patient, which is a tough ask after eight straight years of missing the playoffs and 14 different starting quarterbacks since 2016. It’s too early to give up on Nix, though, and fans should stick with him as he develops.
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