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Up until this point in the NFL regular season, almost all of the talk around rookie quarterbacks has centered on Washington Commanders star Jayden Daniels, who has taken the league by storm.
As the season enters its final stretch, Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix and his teammates would like a moment of everyone’s time.
Nix was the center of discussion following a breakout performance in the Broncos’ 38-6 win over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 11 improved their record to 6-5 and kept them in the hunt for their first playoff appearance since 2016.
Nix was brilliant against the Falcons, going 28-of-33 passing for 307 yards, 4 touchdowns and no interceptions.
“He’s him,” Broncos All-Pro cornerback Pat Surtain II told ESPN’s Jeff Legwold. “I told him ‘man, you’re trying to win MVP, not even looking like offensive rookie of the year right now, it’s looking like MVP. Just a testament to him. He puts the work in.”
Nix has 14 touchdown passes and 6 interceptions to go with 4 rushing touchdowns and 1 receiving touchdown — that comes after he didn’t even throw a touchdown pass in the first 3 games of the season.
Daniels Might Have Competition for Offensive ROY
While the MVP talk from Surtain might be a little out of pocket — no rookie has won NFL MVP since Cleveland Browns running back Jim Brown in 1957 — it’s not hard to imagine a world in which Nix might overtake Daniels down the stretch and bring home NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.
Nix was the No. 12 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft and the sixth quarterback taken in the first round — he’s one of four currently starting alongside Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, Daniels and New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye.
Nix was already starting to level up even ahead of the blowout win over the Falcons and earned heaps of praise following a heartbreaking, 16-14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 10.
“I had Bo Nix as a solid fourth among those rookie quarterbacks,” said “Cousin” Sal Iacono on “The Bill Simmons Podcast” on November 11. ” … I’m going to drop Caleb Williams to four right now. I’ll put (Maye) third. I think Bo Nix is second.”
The last NFL MVP for the Broncos was quarterback Peyton Manning in 2013. The last NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year for the Broncos was Clinton Portis in 2002. The 2 times Broncos have won NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year came in a 3-year stretch from 2000 to 2002, with running back Mike Anderson winning in 2000.
Mapping Out Path to Playoffs for Broncos
The Broncos are 6-5 with 6 games left. Winning their next 3 games against the Las Vegas Raiders, Browns and Indianapolis Colts would essentially set up a 2-week AFC Wild Card play-in tournament with games at the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 16 and at the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17.
The Broncos close out the regular season against the Chiefs in Week 18.
Denver hasn’t made the playoff since winning the Super Bowl following the 2015 season — Manning’s last year — and haven’t had a winning record since going 9-7 in 2016.
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