It’s only up from here.
Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski handed out his QB Report Cards after Week 1 and Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix was at the very bottom of the list — 1 of 4 NFL quarterbacks who received “F” grades after losses, with the Broncos falling flat in a 31-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The other 3 quarterbacks to receive an “F” were last year’s NFL MVP and NFL MVP runner-up, Matthew Stafford and Drake Maye, along with Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Nix finished 16-of-31 for 131 passing yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception, and lost a fumble. He was also sacked 4 times in his return from a fractured ankle suffered in the AFC Divisional Round — an injury that required multiple surgeries.
“Quarterback Bo Nix was careless with the football and wilted against pressure,” Sobleski wrote. “At the same time, Nix didn’t make good decisions, looked uncomfortable in the pocket and became mistake-prone. Officially, the Broncos quarterback threw an interception and fumbled once. Those numbers don’t take into account Nix inexplicably let the ball slip out of his hand while scrambling and didn’t lose a second fumble only because L’Jarius Snead’s feet were touching the sideline. Also, the quarterback was stripped of the ball in the fourth quarter, but the officials deemed his arm was going forward. Denver faces a brutal schedule over the next three weeks. Nix must show up during that stretch or the Broncos will find themselves in an insurmountable hole.”
Bo Nix Looked Awful in Broncos’ Week 1 Loss
It’s hard to oversell how bad Nix played — and to not think him missing all of the offseason with his injury may have had something to do with it.
After fracturing his ankle on January 17 in an overtime win over the Buffalo Bills, Nix was originally projected to be out 4-6 weeks — he wasn’t able to rejoin his team until the start of training camp in July.
Nix’s interception came on the 1st drive of the game.
“Bo Nix when under pressure tonight: 2-8, 5 yards, 1 INT,” Yahoo Sports NFL reporter Nate Tice wrote on his official X account.
“We say pressure makes diamonds, but it also floods the basement,” former NFL wide receiver and ESPN analyst Steve Smith said on Tuesday morning.
“The biggest surprise of Chiefs-Broncos is how thoroughly KC is bullying the supposed bullies,” FanSided’s Patrick Allen wrote on his official X account. “The Chiefs are dominating the line of scrimmage on both sides, running straight through Denver’s vaunted defense and making life miserable for Bo Nix.”
First Game Calling Plays for OC Davis Webb
Along with Nix, the person facing the highest level of scrutiny on the Broncos following Week 1 will be offensive coordinator Davis Webb, who head coach Sean Payton ceded playcalling duties to this offseason.
“I’m questioning why Sean Payton, 1 of the best play callers in NFL history, isn’t calling the plays anymore,” Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback and MNF color commentator Troy Aikman said on Monday night. “Because the offense is struggling.”
“Sean Payton is going to tire of either Davis Webb or Bo Nix,” Fox Sports analyst Colin Cowhwerd wrote on his official X account. “Or both. Roster too good for this mess.”
Broncos’ Bo Nix Receives NFL’s Worst QB Grade After Season-Opening Loss