Bo Nix came into this season with a ton of people being low on him and the Denver Broncos, but months later, he just proved a ton of them wrong. Some of the things that were said about Bo Nix, especially early on, were just insanely nasty and flat-out wrong if you ask me. Nix and the Broncos got out to a slow start in 2024, but this was also a rookie QB making his first starts in the NFL.
However, that did not stop people from telling us how they really felt about the rookie passer, who just led his team to a 10-win season and the playoffs for the first time since the 2015 NFL Season:
Watching Bo in clear pass situations is so tough man. He does not see the field fast enough or have the arm to challenge any downfield windows. He's just cosplaying in the pocket waiting for an excuse to scramble. He's so overwhelmed. https://t.co/Q7k9mjDTdC
— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) October 13, 2024
Yes, imagine that, Bo Nix did not play well in his first NFL game!
the bo nix all-22 is going to be bad
— Austin Gayle (@austingayle_) September 8, 2024
Bo Nix, who is 7-of-15 for minus-7 passing yards, is the first quarterback to have multiple completions in the first half and throw for negative yards since at least 2000.
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) September 29, 2024
And these are just three folks who did not seem to hesitate to tell us how they really felt about Bo Nix. He was called a "checkdown merchant" by some and many said he'd turn out to be Derek Carr at the next level. At times, the criticism of Nix seemed to be over the top, and I am sure the QB definitely saw and read some of it.
But it's clear that neither Bo Nix nor his teammates or coaches who hand-picked him really cared what some of the 'haters' had to say. Things were not looking all that good after a shaky 0-2 start, but Nix and the Broncos proceeded to go 10-5 over their final 15 games. During the final 15 games of the season, Nix went 330/490 for 3,391 yards, 29 touchdowns, 8 interceptions, and a 100 passer rating.
The kid was balling out for most of the season, and now the Denver Broncos enter the playoffs with a ton going for them. With limited talent on offense and a dead cap charge approaching $100 million, many people wrote this team off entirely in 2024. And all of a sudden, the Broncos will soon turn into a free agent destination team. With a rich ownership group and a winning culture, players will love coming to the Broncos.
And with the QB now in place, it's hard to not be extremely optimistic about the long-term future of this team. While the Broncos may lose to the Bills in the Wild Card Round, that absolutely does not change just how badly Bo Nix proved people wrong in his sensational rookie season.