Bo Nix’s spot under center is not up for debate inside the Broncos building.
After Prime Video analyst Ryan Fitzpatrick labeled Nix’s performance in Denver’s 17-14 overtime win against the Seattle Seahawks “garbage,” Sean Payton made it clear on an Oct. 19 media call that a quarterback switch was not on his mind.
“To answer your question, no,” Payton said. “He’s going to become the byproduct of all the finer things that get improved.
The improved play from our offensive line, the more efficient we are relative to balance, running the football. That’s our jobs as coaches here.”
That answer fit the broader message from Denver’s head coach: the fixes need to come around Nix, not from replacing him. The Broncos are 4-2, but their offense has lagged badly, ranking 31st in total output and second-worst in the league.
Payton’s team has gone 2-0 with him handling play-calling duties again instead of Davis Webb, who is in his first season in the coordinator role. In both wins, the defense did the heavy lifting - first in a 23-17 road victory over the Los Angeles Chargers, then in the overtime escape against Seattle.
Across those two games, Nix completed 33 of 54 passes for 230 yards.
The quarterback wasn’t exactly hiding his frustration after the Seahawks game. “I don’t understand why we can’t really push the ball vertically,” he said.
Payton, though, wasn’t interested in turning the latest criticism into a public back-and-forth. When asked whether he pays attention to commentary about his quarterback, including Fitzpatrick’s, he kept the focus on the work ahead.
“I try to focus on the next day here,” Payton said. “We’re trying to focus on getting ready to play Arizona.”
That left the pushback from Fitzpatrick’s remarks to others, including Aqib Talib, who had already responded to the analyst’s comments about Nix.
For now, Jarrett Stidham remains the backup, and Payton is standing on the Broncos’ record as proof there’s no reason to panic.
“Fortunately, we’re sitting here 4-2 and we’ve got a chance to play better this upcoming weekend and we will.”
Denver heads to Arizona next, and Fitzpatrick will get another look at Nix when the Broncos face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Black Friday in a Prime Video game.
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Broncos Defense Just Raised A Bigger Question About This Team
The Broncos left Seattle with a 17-14 win that looked far more like a defensive statement than a tidy offensive performance. Denver leaned on a unit that was active from start to finish, with Kris Abrams-Draine making a crucial interception, JaQuan McMillian turning in the kind of tackling and playmaking that keeps drives from getting comfortable, and the front line setting the tone under coordinator Vance Joseph.
Zach Allen and Nik Bonitto were central to the pressure plan, and the way Joseph deployed his pieces gave the Seahawks little room to settle in. The bigger question now is what this defense can become if it keeps winning games while the offense sorts itself out, because on this day the Broncos did not just survive on the strength of their defense, they leaned on it heavily enough to make you wonder how often that formula can hold. [Read more 🡒]
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One name that naturally comes up is Jonathan Taylor, especially if Indianapolis decides to start making major moves. A trade for a player of his caliber would not be cheap, and Denver would have to weigh the draft compensation against the kind of immediate impact he could bring. The bigger question may be whether the Broncos are willing to be aggressive enough to address the problem before it becomes a season-long limitation. [Read more 🡒]