Bo Nix, Dogs, and the Broncos' Playoff Push: A Christmas Night Full of Surprises
Bo Nix had one of the more unexpected moments of the NFL season-not on the field, but on the sidelines at Arrowhead Stadium. The Denver Broncos quarterback, known for his poise under pressure, found himself in an entirely different kind of standoff: with a dog.
Kirk Herbstreit, the longtime college football analyst and now a familiar face on NFL broadcasts, brought his dog, Peter, to the stadium. What he didn’t know?
Bo Nix doesn’t do dogs. At all.
When Peter tried to greet him, Nix instinctively backed away. Herbstreit, who’s been through the heartbreak of losing a dog before, was surprised and started asking around.
Teammates confirmed it-Nix has a genuine fear of dogs. Big or small, it doesn’t matter.
That fear is real.
Still, Herbstreit wasn’t ready to let it go. He had a quiet mission: get Bo Nix to pet Peter.
And believe it or not, it happened-right there on the field at Arrowhead. Nix cautiously approached, gave Peter a quick pet, and just as quickly backed off.
“My wife will be shocked,” Nix said with a nervous laugh.
Turns out, there’s a backstory. Nix shared that he was attacked by a dog as a kid, and ever since, he’s had a deep-seated fear.
His family never had dogs, and they’re not fans either. So while it might seem like a quirky footnote to an NFL evening, for Nix, that brief moment with Peter was a big deal.
But let’s not forget-this all happened on a night when the Broncos were battling for their playoff lives. And while Nix didn’t light up the stat sheet, he delivered when it mattered most. A late touchdown sealed a gutsy win over the Chiefs on Christmas night, keeping Denver’s postseason hopes alive.
Now, with just one game left in the regular season, the Broncos are still in the hunt for the AFC West crown. The math is simple: if the Chargers lose or tie against the Texans on Saturday night, Denver takes the division.
There’s also a slim path to the No. 1 seed in the AFC, but that road is filled with obstacles-namely, needing losses from the Patriots, Chargers, Jaguars, and Bills. In other words, don’t count on it.
According to playoffstatus.com, Denver’s chances of winning the division sit at 66%. Not bad, considering how up-and-down this season has been.
But there’s one more hurdle: the Chargers. And that’s been a tough matchup for Nix.
He’s 0-3 against them in his first two seasons, with a 63% completion rate, 632 passing yards, five touchdowns, and just one interception. Solid numbers, but no wins.
If Denver’s season comes down to that final game, Nix will need to flip the script. He’s shown he can deliver in crunch time-just ask the Chiefs-but the Chargers have been his personal roadblock.
So yes, Bo Nix pet a dog on Christmas. That’s a headline in its own right.
But the bigger story is what comes next. The Broncos are still in the fight, and their young quarterback, fears and all, is right in the middle of it.