It was easy to laugh in the beginning.
From the moment the Denver Broncos submitted a draft card for the No. 12 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft with Bo Nix's name on it, the move felt like a serious reach. Nix was already an older prospect at 24 coming into the league and an early run on QBs made it look as if the Broncos panicked at their first-round spot (without a second-round choice in their arsenal) and grabbed the next one on their draft board.
The laughter didn't stop once the regular season began. Nix's first two games were losses to the Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers—games in which Nix threw zero touchdowns and four interceptions. In those games, the Broncos QB looked overwhelmed by the transitiion and underwhelming under center. For Chiefs Kingdom, it was fun to watch the Broncos whiff on such a major organizational decision.
But then something happened. Nix began to get better. (Imagine a rookie actually needing reps to grow.) The Broncos are 5-2 since those first two games of the season, and Nix has thrown 8 touchdowns and only 2 INTs since then. He's also rushed for 295 yards and 4 scores through a half-season as well, showing that he can be a threat as a scrambler, too.
So what should Chiefs fans expect to see from Nix at Arrowhead on Sunday in Week 10? How much has he really improved? What are his weaknesses? We asked our friend Sayre Bedinger of Predominantly Orange to tell us more about Nix's pro journey to date and whether he's a BO-liever or not.
You're halfway into the first season of the Bo Nix Experience. What's the general sentiment from Broncos fans at this point toward Nix as the franchise's face?
I think a lot of Broncos Country is excited about Bo Nix, while a lot of them remain skeptics. It's almost like a section of the fan base won't allow themselves to get excited about what they're seeing from him, if I'm being purely transparent. You know how fans are. They will poke holes that literally no one else is seeing because they don't want to be disappointed and let down if it doesn't work out. But I would say there is also a large section of the fan base that is BO-lieving already this year. It's been steady progression from him and he's been impressive even when the team doesn't win.
What's been the most remarkable part of his learning curve in the NFL so far?
I think everybody has been blown away by how quickly he's proven to have a command of the offense as well as a good understanding of what defenses are doing. It doesn't feel "too fast" for him like people were saying back in Week 1. He has his rookie moments for sure, but you can tell he isn't out there as a puppet. He's seeing things better and better week by week.
What's the biggest hurdle for him yet as a starting NFL QB?
I would say the biggest hurdle for him at this point is going to be finding ways to finish drives more consistently. The Broncos have moved the ball very well over the last month-plus but they've struggled at times to punch it in. There are a lot of factors with that but having Bo get on the same page as his receivers and keep building that chemistry within this offense is going to help him a lot.
What do you take from last week's game against the Ravens for Nix in particular?
I think you have to take that he was making a lot of throws in that game. The interception on the first drive was completely the fault of Lil'Jordan Humphrey. The offense moved the ball effectively all throughout the first half but whiffed on a couple of fourth-down attempts in Ravens territory. I think you have to obviously learn from some of the misses in there but overall, Nix looked like he was going to be able to keep the Broncos in it if the defense could get a couple of stops. (They did not.)