If not for the heroics from Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal, the Denver Broncos and rookie quarterback Bo Nix would have had a signature win and arguably the biggest upset of the 2024 NFL regular season in Week 10 at Arrowhead Stadium.
While Chenal’s blocked kick on a potentially game-winning field goal by the Broncos as time expired lifted the Chiefs to 9-0, the resounding sentiment around the NFL was that not only is Denver for real, but Nix might have established himself as the second-best quarterback of the 6 taken in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft.
That’s not a small accomplishment. When Nix went No. 12 overall to the Broncos, he was the sixth of those quarterbacks to come off the board — and to put him at No. 2 behind Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels means Nix has also leapfrogged Chicago Bears quarterback and No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams.
“I had Bo Nix as a solid fourth among those rookie quarterbacks,” said “Cousin” Sal Iacono on “The Bill Simmons Podcast” on November 11 after a prompt from Simmons to rank the four rookie starting quarterbacks. ” … I’m going to drop Caleb Williams to four right now. I’ll put (Maye) third. I think Bo Nix is second.”
The Broncos are currently 5-5 and tracking to make a run at a spot in the AFC Wild Card Round in Nix’s first season as a starter. Four of the six quarterbacks have become starters in their rookie seasons with Daniels, Nix, Williams and New England Patriots quarterback and No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye.
Williams was named the starter before the season. Daniels and Nix won their jobs in the preseason and training camp. Maye was named the starter to replace veteran Jacoby Brissett after Week 5.
Playoff Could Mean Big Early Payoff in Nix
There’s also an argument to be made that Nix would have already been worth every penny of the 4-year, $18.6 million rookie contract he signed after he was drafted.
Take into account that the Broncos’ starter for the last 2 seasons, Russell Wilson, made $85 million in 2022 and 2023 and went 11-19 and missed the playoff both years.
Nix became the Broncos’ first rookie starter since No. 1 overall pick John Elway after beating out veterans Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson for the starting spot. Through the first 10 games of his NFL career, he’s seemed to get incrementally better through each game.
Against the Chiefs, Nix seemed ready to compete with the very best in the league, going 22-of-30 passing for 215 yards, 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. For the season, Nix has 1,968 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and 6 interceptions, with 4 interceptions in the first 2 games of the season. He’s also rushed for 290 yards and 4 touchdowns and is averaging 4.8 yards per carry — he also has a receiving touchdown.
What Broncos Need to Do To Make Playoffs
After losing back-to-back games to the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs, the Broncos kick off a stretch of what seems like 4 must-win games against the Atlanta Falcons (Week 11), Las Vegas Raiders (Week 12), Cleveland Browns (Week 13) and Indianapolis Colts (Week 15).
That would set up a scenario where the Broncos would likely be able to clinch a playoff spot by winning just 1 of their final 3 games. Denver entered the year with 5.5 wins as their projected win total for 2024.
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