Bo Nix is climbing, and the Broncos are riding right with him.
After Denver’s win over the Kansas City Chiefs, the rookie quarterback has moved into the top 10 of the latest AFC quarterback power rankings, landing at No. 9. The Broncos are 30-12 since the start of the 2024 NFL season, and they’re in a strong spot to win the AFC West for the second straight year.
That latest victory over Kansas City came with a familiar formula: a big fourth quarter, a few clutch defensive stops, and another home win over the Chiefs. Denver has now taken four straight at home against Kansas City, and while Nix’s stat line may not scream dominance, he has been the AFC’s best quarterback over the last two weeks.
Nix now has nine touchdown passes and three interceptions. He has not thrown a pick since Week 3, and he has been sacked only 10 times. In year three, that mobility remains one of his biggest weapons.
The rest of the AFC list has plenty of movement around him, starting with a rough stretch for several veterans and young passers who haven’t found their footing.
Justin Herbert sits at No. 15 after posting a passer rating below 70 and throwing twice as many interceptions as touchdowns. Daniel Jones is one spot behind him at No. 14, with five touchdown passes and nine interceptions in another brutal season.
Malik Willis checks in at No. 13, while Cam Ward lands at No. 12 after Tennessee’s Week 8 battle with Cincinnati. Deshaun Watson is No. 11, and Aaron Rodgers is No. 10 after absorbing 23 sacks and completing barely 60 percent of his throws.
Above Nix, Geno Smith is at No. 8 for the New York Jets, where the coaching situation remains a problem even though Smith has completed 69 percent of his passes and thrown 12 touchdowns. Kirk Cousins is No. 7 and has helped power a surprising 4-4 Raiders team with 19 passing touchdowns and a 101.1 passer rating.
Patrick Mahomes comes in at No. 6.
He’s been productive, but the Chiefs’ offense has lacked much beyond Kenneth Walker III, and the passing game has leaned heavily on short throws. Drake Maye is No. 5 after improving his play and pushing his passer rating to 100.4, while Josh Allen sits at No. 4 with Buffalo at 6-1 despite some uneven moments.
At the top of the rankings, CJ Stroud is No. 3 after throwing just one interception and averaging more than 260 passing yards per game, all without much help from the run game or offensive line. Trevor Lawrence holds the No. 2 spot with a 17:4 touchdown-to-interception ratio and the AFC’s best passer rating among starters.
And at No. 1, Joe Burrow is still setting the pace for everyone else, completing 73 percent of his passes, averaging 302.1 yards per game, and leading the AFC with 20 passing touchdowns.
Cincinnati is 5-2, and Burrow’s play is making a strong case for MVP.
In Other News...
Chiefs Meltdown Added Even More To Denvers First-Place Win
The Broncos Week 8 win over Kansas City already carried plenty of weight, but the ripple effects made it feel even bigger in Denver. A 28-24 victory pushed the Broncos to 6-2 and dropped the Chiefs to 5-2, flipping the AFC West standings and giving Denver a first-place spot it had been chasing.
Kansas Citys frustration spilled well beyond the field after the game, with Brittany Mahomes taking to Instagram Stories to criticize a late penalty that wiped out a potential turning point. For the Broncos, it was the kind of divisional win that does more than add a mark in the standings, because it also leaves the rival most likely to challenge them dealing with the fallout. [Read more 🡒]
Mahomes Postgame Drama Briefly Took Attention From Denvers Biggest Win
The Broncos biggest win of the season came with some extra postgame noise after Kansas Citys second straight loss turned into a heated finish. The Chiefs fell to 5-2 after a late false start penalty wiped out their chance to win, and Patrick Mahomes spent much of his postgame availability venting about the officiating after throwing for 321 yards and three touchdowns on 30 completions.
A viral clip then briefly shifted attention to a supposed handshake snub involving Mahomes and Bo Nix, but the moment did not match what actually happened on the field. CBS Sports reporter Tracy Wolfson clarified that the quarterbacks had a long conversation after the game and showed each other respect, a small but telling detail after a night that had already delivered plenty of drama for Denver to enjoy. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Win Over Chiefs Raised A Bigger J.K. Dobbins Question
The Broncos Week 8 win over the Chiefs gave the offense a jolt, and Jonah Coleman was a big part of it with 104 scrimmage yards and a touchdown. It was the kind of performance that can change the tone around a backfield, especially in a game with that much weight attached to it, because Denver found production when it mattered most and showed it has more than one option to lean on.
J.K. Dobbins, meanwhile, was left with a much smaller footprint in the game plan, which only sharpened the questions about how the Broncos want to divide the work going forward. With the backfield hierarchy already worth watching, the possibility of Denver exploring another move at the position adds another layer to a situation that suddenly feels less settled than it did before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]