Broncos QB Bo Nix Draws Comparison to Polarizing Former ‘Icon’

Getty Bo Nix #10 of the Denver Broncos.

Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos have won their last two games. They have done it in very different fashions each time. They beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by a 19-point margin in Week 3. But they needed a missed field goal by the New York Jets to win in Week 4.

The play from the rookie QB during the heart of those games has drawn a comparison to former Broncos QB and cultural icon Tim Tebow.

According to The Denver Post’s Troy Renck, Nix is “easier to appreciate than explain.”

“This is the thing about Nix. He is comfortable in his skin. He knows who he is and what he can do even when the game he loves mocks him. He reminds me of Tim Tebow. In a good way,” Renck wrote on September 29.

“On a rainy, wet, miserable Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium, Nix made the idea of the forward pass seem like a foreign concept. Tebow once won a game in 2011 at Kansas City with two completions. Nix won Sunday when he didn’t complete a pass beyond the line of scrimmage until the third quarter.”

In the win over the Jets, Nix set the mark for the fewest yards per attempt among QBs to throw at least 25 passes since 1970, per NFL researcher Dante Koplowitz-Fleming on September 29.

He has completed 60.1% of his passes for 660 yards and 1 touchdown — against 4 interceptions — in 2024.

The rookie is more advanced as a passer than Tebow, whom Bleacher Report’s Ryan Locke called a “pop culture icon” during his Broncos tenure.

Bo Nix ‘Not Tim Tebow’

GettyBo Nix #10 of the Denver Broncos and Tim Tebow.

Tebow was the No. 25 overall pick of the 2010 draft by the Broncos. A product of the University of Florida, where he earned a spot among the greatest college football players in history, he quarterbacked the Broncos for two seasons, peaking with Tebow Mania.

The Broncos traded him to the Jets in 2012. Tebow completed 47.3% of his passes for 2,383 yards with 17 touchdowns and 9 picks in his two years with the team.

He is also the last quarterback drafted by the Broncos to win a playoff game.

“He is not Tebow. Let’s be clear. Tim’s favorite receiver was the ground, leaving those actually running routes jealous and confused. Nix connects with receivers, but for long stretches at Seattle and against Pittsburgh and the Jets, it has been for scant yardage. Or worse,” Renck wrote. “But amazingly, surprisingly, consistently, Nix fails to lose his confidence.”

Nix pointed to the poor weather conditions in the early going of the Broncos’ win over the Jets in Week 4 as part of the poor passing production. But Nix also moved the ball on the ground with his legs, again linking him to his predecessor.

Bo Nix, Tim Tebow Tied in Faith

GettyBo Nix #10 of the Denver Broncos.

Tebow’s Popularity in Denver outlasted his stay with the Broncos. Tebow retired in 2021 after trying to convert from quarterback to tight end. But his popularity in Denver lasted well after he switched teams and positions, and even into 2024.

He built a strong following with his energy and deep faith, which Renk notes Nix also has.

“This is where the Tebow comparison comes in. Tebow always thought he would pull out a victory even when the offense sputtered, staggered and stumbled for 58 minutes,” Renck wrote.

“Nix, too, possesses unwavering mental strength. He is centered, a 24-year-old mature beyond his years. And like Tebow, Nix is deeply religious. Scripture tells us faith is believing in what you cannot see.”