Sixteen weeks into the 2025 NFL season, Bo Nix finds himself sitting in the middle of the NFL quarterback pack - not quite in the spotlight, but not lost in the shadows either. His Total QBR of 57.0 ranks 14th among the league’s 32 starting quarterbacks, according to ESPN.
That’s a notch below the upper echelon but still within striking distance of the top half. His traditional passer rating?
An 89.0 - respectable, but not eye-popping.
Now, let’s talk about what that QBR number really means. Unlike the old-school passer rating, which mostly tracks completion percentage, yards, touchdowns, and interceptions, ESPN’s Total QBR digs deeper.
It aims to tell the full story - factoring in everything from clutch throws to scrambles, penalties drawn, turnovers, and how the quarterback’s play directly impacts winning. It even adjusts for game context, like whether a play came in garbage time or with the game on the line.
In other words, it’s less about raw stats and more about real impact.
For Nix, that 57.0 QBR tells us he's been solid - not spectacular, not struggling - but solid. He’s made plays, moved the chains, and kept Denver competitive.
But he’s also had some bumps along the way. His QBR dropped from 59.1 just a week ago, and he slipped two spots in the rankings.
That dip suggests some recent struggles, whether it’s decision-making, missed opportunities, or simply facing tougher defenses.
To put Nix’s standing in perspective, here’s how the league’s starters stack up heading into Week 17:
- Brock Purdy leads the league at 75.8, orchestrating the 49ers' offense with surgical precision.
- Drake Maye (73.4) and Dak Prescott (73.1) round out the top three, both delivering high-level consistency and efficiency.
- Jordan Love (72.9) and Matthew Stafford (71.8) are right behind, showing strong command and situational awareness.
Further down the list, you’ll find perennial contenders like Josh Allen (65.4), Lamar Jackson (62.7), and Joe Burrow (62.3) - all of whom have had their moments but haven’t quite maintained elite-level efficiency week in and week out.
Then comes the middle tier - the quarterbacks who’ve shown flashes but haven’t quite broken through. That’s where Nix lives right now.
He’s nestled between Jared Goff (59.3) and Caleb Williams (56.7), with guys like Baker Mayfield (59.9) and Sam Darnold (60.8) just ahead of him. It’s a crowded group, where one big game - or one rough outing - can shuffle the deck quickly.
Below that line, things start to unravel. Quarterbacks like Bryce Young (50.3), Aaron Rodgers (44.3), and Shedeur Sanders (18.6) are having seasons they’d probably rather forget. And at the very bottom, Josh Johnson (5.0) and Brady Cook (9.7) are struggling to get anything going.
For Nix, the story isn’t written yet. With two weeks left in the regular season, there’s still time to climb the ranks - or slip further.
But for a rookie quarterback in his first NFL campaign, sitting 14th in Total QBR isn’t a bad place to be. It shows he’s holding his own, learning on the fly, and giving Denver fans a reason to be cautiously optimistic.
The next step? Turning those solid performances into consistent wins. And if Nix can do that, he might just climb into that upper tier sooner than expected.