Following the Denver Broncos‘ big win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday afternoon, the Bo Nix hype has been off the charts (understandably so).
Nix had a record-breaking performance in a 38-6 win over the Falcons, completing 28-of-33 passes for 307 yards with four touchdowns and no turnovers. So it’s no surprise that coach Sean Payton was peppered with questions about Nix’s rise during his conference call on Monday.
Four of the first five questions during Payton’s call with reporters on Monday were related to Nix. After the fourth question, Payton had a funny response.
“Let’s not send this kid to Canton quite yet,” Payton said.
It’s an understandable stance for the coach to take. Nix has shown incredible improvement from earlier this year, but there’s still plenty of room for more improvement.
“We’re sitting here in the middle of the season,” Payton said. “He’s playing well. I’m excited. The film showed that he’s playing well. The film showed a few things though that I wanted to scream at him about. We’ll keep correcting those things.
“I like the way he prepares. I love the way he comes to work. I love his enthusiasm. I think it’s naturally contagious. I think he’s a winner. It’s interesting because you guys [in] real-time are seeing it just like we are. I’m real encouraged by that.”
Through 11 games this season, Nix has completed 65.5% of his passes for 2,275 yards with 14 touchdowns against six interceptions. He has also rushed for four touchdowns and caught a touchdown pass this season.
Nix is making a strong case for the Offensive Rookie of the Year award, but Payton doesn’t want the hype to get out of control. After years of waiting for their next franchise quarterback, though, it’s hard to blame Broncos fans for being excited.
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