Bo Nix has made a name for himself by hunting explosive plays, and no quarterback in the league has thrown more deep touchdowns than him since 2024. But this season has brought a different version of Nix - one who has been far more cautious with the football.
That caution showed up in a big way Sunday in San Francisco. In Denver’s 24-14 loss to the 49ers, Nix completed just 1 of 9 passes thrown 10 or more yards downfield.
The lone completion went for 30 yards to Pat Bryant and stood as the Broncos’ longest play of the day. For an offense that traded for Jaylen Waddle and installed Davis Webb as the play caller with the idea of pushing the ball downfield, that kind of output is hard to ignore.
On a recent edition of “Dover and Cecil” on 104.3 The Fan, Cecil Lammey said Nix has to change the way he’s attacking defenses.
“The thing is, Bo, you’re gonna have to see that tight window throw, and you’re gonna have to make that tight window throw,” Lammey said.
His point was that the safe approach can become its own trap.
“And I know that you’ve stayed away from those throws, I know that you’re safe with the football. You will get screwed by defenses who just know all they have to do is muddy it up. If you put a little mud at it, then he’s just gonna go off of it, because he’s a well-trained quarterback that understands if that look isn’t clean, get off of it,” Lammey said.
In other words, if Nix keeps refusing to challenge crowded windows, defenses won’t need to lock everything down. They just need to make the picture look messy enough to force him to bail.
Lammey put it even more plainly.
“Guess what he’s gotta do. He’s gonna have to throw dirty,” Lammey said.
He then laid out exactly what he meant by that.
“He’s gonna have to throw dirty. Which means, ‘there’s a double coverage, I gotta make that throw.’
You have to make the throw Bo. If you don’t make that throw, this is what’s gonna happen.
You’re gonna muddy it up deep, so that it just gives him a bad look. The coverage doesn’t even have to be great, you just have to have 2 defenders in the vicinity,” Lammey said.
That doesn’t mean throwing reckless passes into danger. It means trusting the arm and the targets when the opening is small but still there.
“The best quarterbacks make that throw Bo,” Lammey said.
With the Chargers and Seahawks coming next, Nix may have to show a little more willingness to take those chances.
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From Denvers side, the name worth tracking is Zack Baun, the inside linebacker who has recently earned both Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro recognition. His contract is considered movable, and if the Eagles decide to keep adjusting their roster, the Broncos could make sense as a team ready to act before trade talks around the league shift into a more crowded market. [Read more 🡒]