If Thursday night left Broncos fans staring at Drake Maye and Caleb Williams and wondering why Denver’s offense can’t pop the same way, that urge is understandable - but it doesn’t tell you much about Bo Nix.
The Week 7 Thursday Night Football matchup between the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots was a completely different kind of game than Denver’s Week 6 win over the Seattle Seahawks. The Broncos needed overtime to finish off Seattle, 17-14. A week later, Williams and Maye combined for more than 600 passing yards and four touchdown throws in a game that turned into a shootout.
That kind of fireworks show can make any offense look ordinary by comparison. It can also create a false sense that Denver is somehow falling behind because Nix and the Broncos didn’t light up the scoreboard in the same way.
But that’s the wrong way to look at it. Williams, Maye and Nix are all part of what appears to be a historically strong 2024 NFL Draft class at quarterback, and the fact that two of them had huge nights on Thursday does not erase what Nix has already done.
Nix was the sixth and final quarterback taken in the first round, and since then, it has often felt like he can’t catch a break. The criticism has only gotten louder during his current slump.
Even so, his overall resume still stacks up best among the quarterbacks from that class. He has done the most since entering the league. He may not have the same ceiling that Williams and Maye do, but that does not change who he is or what the Broncos signed up for.
He is a Bronco. He is the quarterback Denver wanted and could realistically get in the first round. A big night from the Bears and Patriots does not change that.
There have already been stretches when Nix has looked every bit as good as the other young quarterbacks. He has pushed the ball downfield successfully.
He has delivered in clutch spots. He has gone toe-to-toe with Josh Allen in the playoffs.
The Broncos are in a rough patch on offense right now, but that slump has come against a brutal run of defenses. So if Thursday night made it feel like Denver should be doing more, the better move is to keep that game in perspective.
What the other quarterbacks in the 2024 class do doesn’t change much for Denver. Nix and the Broncos will be fine, and the concern some fans felt watching that shootout can stay just that - a feeling.
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