Over the course of his first three NFL seasons, Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix has arguably been the most clutch player in the league.
And head coach Sean Payton needs more from him.
Nix's late-game heroics have been more than impressive; They've been downright historic. He has 12 game-winning drives (in the regular season) already as a pro, meaning he has engineered a game-winning drive in 32.4 percent of his starts in the NFL.
The Denver Broncos do not have a problem finishing games with Nix at the helm. Starting games, however, has been a different animal to tame entirely. The Broncos are notoriously bad at starting slow offensively, and Payton acknowledged after the game just how important fixing that is going to be moving forward.
Sean Payton says getting Bo Nix and the offense going early is the $6 million question
“That’s the $6 million question, honestly, and I think that we’re trying to sort through this first quarter, meaning he’s— obviously the moments aren’t too big and he moves and escapes and makes plays, and it leads us to that first part of the jigsaw, which is, we have to find a way to play better earlier...Obviously, it starts with me or it starts with a group of us before it ever gets to Bo, and that was one of our big points of emphasis coming into this game was just, we knew kind of the type of offense they had and we felt starting that was going to be important for us and yet it didn’t happen.
So I’m pleased with how we responded, but you asked a great question, and we can’t—it’ll cost us in bigger games. I just believe that against teams that are playing better later in the season and I’m talking about ourselves, whoever it is, it’ll be something we’ll be frustrated about later if we can’t clean it up.”
- Broncos HC Sean Payton (via team PR)
That quote is obviously a mouthful, but it's a long-winded answer for a reason. It's a question Payton has clearly been wrestling with himself.
The late-game heroics are not unwelcome, by any means, but the Broncos do have to figure out how to play more competent offense at the start of games instead of constantly dealing with three-and-outs, getting shutout at halftime by a Super Bowl contender, and facing these massive second-half deficits.
All is well that ends well, but getting comfortable with bad habits is a dangerous place to be.
The Broncos' grit and resolve in the second half of games is more than just admirable or lucky. They seem to flip a switch and become a completely different team when their backs are against the wall. But for the majority of Bo Nix's career, everyone's been wondering the same thing:
How good would this team look if they played a complete game for four quarters?
We've seen it a couple of times, including some blowouts during Nix's rookie year and a huge game last season against the Cowboys. But the examples of the Broncos playing a complete game -- and a clean game offensively -- are few and far between.
Payton is right -- the issue starts with him and trickles down to the coaching staff before it gets to Bo Nix. And there are valid arguments to be made about dropped passes, no running game to speak of, and penalties killing promising drives getting in the way of this consistency offensively everyone in Broncos Country so desperately craves.
With that in mind, it's important to note that the question Payton was asked after the game was specifically in regards to Bo Nix, and his answer is extremely important. Remember, this is the head coach who took to Twitter/X to defend Nix when he was accused of not throwing the ball downfield.
Payton is not throwing Nix under the bus, but doing what he can to challenge him in so many words without making it seem like the offense has a Bo Nix problem.
Broncos, Bo Nix have much more at stake now than they did in 2024-25
Nix is no longer a rookie quarterback or second-year player. The expectations of the Broncos are no longer just to make it back to the playoffs or prove they can contend in the AFC West.
This is a team with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations.
Not only that, but Nix is eligible for a contract extension after this season. Broncos ownership has gone on record as saying they want Nix around for the long term, but that sentiment is obviously subject to change. Are you going to pay a quarterback north of $50 million per year when the offense is getting shut out for an entire half?
Nix has to do his part to take that 3rd-year leap. The Broncos are under no obligation to just give him a contract because he's the only option they have. When the Super Bowl is on the line, and a record-setting contract is on the line, the expectations change.
The Broncos have to become a legitimate operation offensively before they are down by two scores. They have to prove they can not only start games well, but sustain a high level of play and put pressure on opposing teams.
The late-game heroics prove that the Broncos are not dealing with an ability problem. They are dealing with an execution problem. If the source of execution problems starts with the head coach, the quarterback is somewhere near the top of the food chain when it comes to blame as well.
Figuring out how to combine late-game heroics with four-quarter competence is crucial to the short- and long-term success of the Denver Broncos. And they have to figure it out quickly.
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