By the time the Denver Broncos were up big midway through the fourth quarter of their playoff-clinching win over the Kansas City Chiefs in the Week 18 regular-season finale, rookie quarterback Bo Nix had already etched his name in the NFL record books.
Nix, the No. 12 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, went 26-for-29 passing for a career-high 321 yards, 4 touchdowns and no interceptions to put the Broncos into the playoffs for the first time since the 2015 season.
The win also brought Nix the NFL rookie record for most touchdown passes in home games with 19 — C.J. Stroud and Russell Wilson previously held the record at 17 touchdowns each.
Nix broke the record on one of the wildest touchdown catches of the NFL season on a 3-yard scoring strike that saw the ball tipped twice before landing in the arms of wide receiver DeVaughn Vele.
Nix also broke Peyton Manning’s franchise single-game completion percentage record by completing 89.7 percent of his passes, and did so with Manning in attendance.
Nix was pulled midway through the fourth quarter and replaced by veteran backup Jarrett Stidham.
Nix Has Been Revelation for Broncos in 2024
Little was expected of Nix or the Broncos in 2024, with the team’s projected win total set at just 5.5 wins before the season according to BetMGM.
After Nix beat out Stidham and Zach Wilson for the starting quarterback job in training camp, the Broncos clawed their way back from an 0-2 start to win 5 of their next 6 games. Along with making their first playoff appearance since 2015, the Broncos also ended up with their first winning record since 2016 by finishing the season 10-7.
Nix’s experience — and resilience — ended up being one of the keys to the season.
In college, Nix set an FBS record with 61 career starts and he’ll be 25 years old next month. By comparison, New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in 2024, didn’t turn 22 years old until 1 week before the regular season.
Nix First Broncos Rookie QB in Playoffs Since Elway
Along with his NFL and franchise records, Nix becomes just the second rookie quarterback in Broncos history to lead the team to the playoffs, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer and 2-time Super Bowl champion John Elway.
The Broncos traded for Elway after he was selected No. 1 overall in the 1983 NFL draft by the Baltimore Colts after an All-American career at Stanford. It was also the last time before 2024 that 6 quarterbacks were taken in the first round.
While Elway was the starter for the Broncos as a rookie in 1983, that should come with a bit of a caveat. Elway was replaced by veteran Steve DeBerg in both of the Broncos’ first 2 games — both wins — before head coach Dan Reeves benched Elway in favor of DeBerg.
Elway became the starter again one month later after an injury to DeBerg, and the Broncos finished the season with a 9-7 record while Elway went 4-6 as a starter.
Elway was eventually benched for the playoff game, an AFC Wild Card loss to the Seattle Seahawks in which DeBerg got the start and was pulled for Elway in the fourth quarter.
In 16 seasons as the Broncos’ starter from 1983 to 1998, Denver made the playoffs 10 times, including 5 trips to the Super Bowl.
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