Whether the Denver Broncos make a trade deadline move or not, the team will need to see quarterback Bo Nix continue to play well down the stretch and, hopefully, into the playoffs.
The Broncos seemed to be well on their way to the Super Bowl in 2025 before news broke of Nix's broken ankle suffered in the AFC Divisional Round. Not only did that essentially end the season, but Nix was playing the best football of his life up until that point.
And when you look at the splits between Nix pre and post-bye in 2025, it could create a storm in 2026 that the league isn't ready for.
Denver Broncos QB Bo Nix played the best football of his life after the bye in the 2025 season
Last year, the Broncos played 11 games before the bye, which came in Week 12. Nix's stats in those 11 games looked like this:
61.2 percent completion
2,634 total yards
21 total touchdowns
8 interceptions
86.1 passer rating
122.3 rushing yards per game
That rushing yardage total is important - Denver averaged a healthy 122.3 rushing yards per game over the first 11 games of the 2025 season, but Nix's passing production was a bit pedestrian. Nix ended up playing seven games after the bye, including the playoffs. Here is what his production looked like after the bye:
65.3 percent completion
1,818 total yards
12 total touchdowns
4 interceptions
91.7 passer rating
106.1 rushing yards per game
Nix had a higher completion percentage, more yards per game, and a higher passer rating in his seven games post-bye. This is especially impressive given the clear drop off in the team's run game, as J.K. Dobbins had gone down against the Las Vegas Raiders, which was right after last year's trade deadline.
While Nix's production post-bye isn't overwhelmingly better than his pre-bye play, context is needed, as he was playing at a high level despite not having much of a threat with his run game. He was, in a way, a one-man show against Buffalo in the divisional round, as the team ran for just 70 yards, and 29 of them came from Nix.
We simply saw a more locked in, decisive player, and it is reflected in his statistical production even if it isn't eye-popping.
With the Broncos having eight regular season games following the Week 10 bye this year, Nix is again presented with an ideal chance to raise his level of play. He does seem to heat up as the season goes on, and even over the last three games, the Broncos have averaged 28 points per game on offense, and Nix has been noticeably more efficient than in the first chunk of the season.
This also brings up an entirely new discussion about how the Broncos can fix the run game for this post-bye stretch, which can hopefully spill into the playoffs.
At the end of the day, Nix seems to heat up and play better football as the season goes. In the 2025 season, that was evident, and with the Broncos in a similar spot this year as they were last year, a storm could be brewing that the league isn't ready for.
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