It seems borderline impossible, and yet it's reality. Denver Broncos rookie QB Bo Nix somehow managed to have negative passing yards in the first half against the New York Jets, a game in which the Broncos currently trail 6-0 at the time of this post being written.
The weather conditions have not been favorable for the players and it was nearly a historically bad offensive first half for both the Broncos and Jets, but it was particularly miserable for Nix, who was shot-putting the ball at times and trying towels, hand-warmers, and just about anything else he could to try and get a good grip on the football.
Denver Broncos QB Bo Nix has negative passing yards in 1st half vs. Jets
Nix finished the first half with seven completions on 15 attempts for -7 passing yards. The Broncos were trying to get some things going in the passing game after the catch, but the Jets were wise to it and forced a number of negative plays.
Not every passing play was a negative for Nix and the Broncos, but obviously Nix wasn't getting anything going down the field. He just didn't look comfortable out there throwing the ball at all and the Broncos' offense was unable to take advantage of some good field position on multiple occasions. This is also an issue of the team not running the ball effectively, although we did see some of the best runs of the season (not saying much) from both Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin.
Running back Tyler Badie, coming off of a breakthrough performance in which he had nine carries for 70 yards, suffered an unfortunate back injury and was ruled OUT for the remainder of the game. It was one of Badie's receptions that provided the largest negative passing play of the first half and it ended up being insult to injury as Badie fumbled and the Jets scored their first three points of the game.
At this rate, Denver's offensive incompetence seems insurmountable if they can't figure out a way to just simply grip the ball properly. It is absolutely easier said than done given the conditions of the game, but the Jets and Aaron Rodgers put together a relatively normal-looking drive to end the first half, including hitting a number of chunk passing plays, and the Broncos obviously need to figure something out.
Whether Nix needs to wear a glove, or if they need to do a better job of wiping the ball off...whatever the solution is, the Broncos need to find it quickly because this game is there for the taking.