• A stretch of excellent play has the Broncos in playoff position: Nix's 83.5 PFF overall grade over the past four weeks ranks eighth overall and first among rookie quarterbacks.
• Nix is beginning to make NFL-level decisions: On one play against the Falcons, Nix could have easily dumped it off to the tight end and gotten the offense to third-and-short or maybe a tight first down. He decided against that and ripped a perfectly layered seam ball for a huge gain.
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Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes
Rookie quarterback Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos demolished the Atlanta Falcons in Week 11, getting their season back on track after two straight losses. Nix, specifically, was extremely efficient and has started to make a serious case as the league's top first-year quarterback.
Highest-Graded Quarterbacks in Week 11
Nix finished the game with an 84.7 passing grade, the second-highest mark of his career. He was nearly flawless, leading to a 90.6% adjusted completion percentage. This game wasn’t just a one-off, either. Nix has steadily been putting together solid games. His 83.5 PFF overall grade over the past four weeks ranks eighth overall and first among rookie quarterbacks.
The Broncos' offensive plan against Atlanta wasn’t to attack through a ton of downfield shots. It was efficient in targeting the short and intermediate areas of the defense, a staple of a Sean Payton offense. And Nix has started to look in complete control of that plan.
Good throw on the run from Bo Nix. I feel like he makes it a bit harder on himself by not calmly sliding in the pocket but he feels pressure at his feet and it's so wide open it doesn't matter pic.twitter.com/tfwhp5gaKe
— Nick Akridge (@PFF_NickAkridge) November 18, 2024
In the above clip, the Broncos run a flood concept to the near side of the field — essentially a three-level concept attacking the sideline. The Falcons' defense makes a mess of it by running into each other, but Nix still has to take advantage — and he makes it harder on himself by throwing the ball while running forward. Ideally, you’d want him to slide to his left once he feels the interior pressure, but the receiver is so open it doesn’t matter: Nix hits him for a first down.
The Broncos did well to exploit the Falcons' defense all game long. One way they did that was by putting their skill-position players in favorable matchups.
Really like this from Bo Nix to get this wheel out quickly and in stride. Also a really cool concept pic.twitter.com/JM225e6mTD
— Nick Akridge (@PFF_NickAkridge) November 18, 2024
Wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. has been lining up in the backfield more often, forcing defenses to try to cover him with linebackers and safeties — a matchup advantage for Denver. The Broncos motion him into the backfield and then send him on a wheel route. It’s a perfect play call against the Falcons' coverage because they can cover Mims only by asking their edge rusher to carry him, which is a near-impossible task. Nix does a great job of recognizing that right away and hitting Mims in stride for a huge gain on third-and-long.
How well a young quarterback attacks tight and closing windows in the NFL is massive for their development. There were some questions about whether Nix could do that consistently at the next level, and he answered them in a big way in Week 11.
Hell yes Bo pic.twitter.com/i1KWrWeRrj
— Nick Akridge (@PFF_NickAkridge) November 18, 2024
This is by far Nix's most impressive throw. He could have easily dumped it off to the tight end and gotten the offense to third-and-short or maybe a tight first down. He decides against that and rips a perfectly layered seam ball for another huge gain. Nix recognizes that the safety to the wide side of the field is bailing to a deep half and is too deep to get to the seam, and with both underneath defenders not carrying the route, he just needs to beat the backside safety. And Nix has the velocity to do so.
Bo Nix is not just a sneaky good athlete. He’s a great athlete, and it’s one of his best traits. He can make plays out of structure and complete off-platform throws.
Flip the hips and rip it Bo pic.twitter.com/VF1BhaSVEy
— Nick Akridge (@PFF_NickAkridge) November 18, 2024
The Broncos dial up a play-action concept asking Nix to roll to his left. It’s not an easy ask for a quarterback to roll to the opposite side of the arm he throws with. Usually, a quarterback flips their body around completely after the play-action fake to get in the proper throwing position. Nix continues his roll to the left, stretching the defense and then quickly flipping his hips and making the throw on the run. His ability to continue to roll out and make this throw opens the window even more than it already is. Then, the receiver does the rest to score a touchdown.
Nix has Denver's offense humming. He’s operating it how Sean Payton envisioned when selecting him in the first round. The Broncos sit firmly in the mix for a playoff spot, and if Nix can continue this level of play, they have a real shot of making it in his rookie season. More importantly for the Broncos, Nix’s play may be the reason to finally get off the dreaded quarterback carousel that they have been on since Peyton Manning retired.
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