There are only 12 days until the Denver Broncos anticipated matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. A classic rivalry takes the stage on MNF as both quarterbacks are coming off injuries, with a lot to prove.
However, as the season creeps closer, Bo Nix has received tons of criticism online about his lack of growth in his first two NFL seasons.
Broncos head coach Sean Payton responds to the constant backlash and says that Bo Nix haters have predetermined opinions based off college and the draft.
Sean Payton Says Bo Nix Critics Have Predetermined Opinions They Are Unwilling to Change
On August 26, former NFL player and current analyst Geoff Schwartz said that Nix has become stagnant and looks like the same quarterback he was in college. Five days later, sports analyst Willie Colon joins “Good Morning Football” claiming that Nix does not help the Denver Broncos win games.
After practice on September 2, head coach Sean Payton was asked what are Nix’s critics missing:
“There’s two things that I think can happen,” Payton said. “You can be predetermined based on how you saw him coming out…like your draft opinion. And often times your not as exposed to certain teams based on television.”
This isn’t the first time Payton has come to the defense of his quarterback. After Schwartz criticized Nix on “First Things First,” Payton responded on X.
“Always easy to tell who works at it and who doesn’t,” Payton said in a reply to a clip of the show.
Payton later spoke about that specific clip saying that he thought it was crazy and was confused what these people were watching.
“It’s the only thing about our sport though… you can argue top 10 of any position, and time will eventually give you those answers,” Payton continued on about Nix’s critics. “And again [quarterbacks] are measured by wins, measured by certain things, and ultimately that’s how history will be written.”
“We love what we’re seeing”
It doesn’t matter to Payton and the Broncos what people are saying of Nix, what matters is their trust in his ability and work ethic to lead the team where they need to go.
Bo Nix’s Success in First Two Years With Broncos
While people critique Nix for lack of development in his first two years with the Broncos, Nix has the numbers to stifle their hate.
Amongst the 2024 quarterback class, Nix has the most amount of wins with 24 total. While also leading in touchdowns. He took his team to the playoffs in both seasons, and lead them to an AFC Championship game in 2025.
24 wins first two years of career – T1 all time Pretty good…
Convinced people don’t even watch the Broncos play
Nix also leads the NFL in the most 20+ air-yard touchdown passes since 2019.
In his two years, Nix has started in all 17 games during the regular season. He has a touchdown to interception ratio of 54:23, and has thrown for 7706 yards.
Bo Nix vs. Patrick Mahomes Preview
Not just Broncos fans and Chiefs fans are excited for the Monday Night matchup between Bo Nix and Patrick Mahomes at Arrowhead Stadium on September 14.
Mahomes tore his ACL in Week 15 against the Los Angeles Chargers last season. Eight months later, the two-time MVP is returning to the field.
Similarly, Nix suffered a broken ankle in the AFC Divisional matchup against the Buffalo Bills, he missed the remainder of playoffs, but is back for Week 1.
The Broncos took the division out from underneath the Chiefs last season, after nine straight seasons of holding the title of AFC West Division Champions.
Now, the Broncos look to hold onto that the title in the first game of the season.
Sean Payton Sends Message to Bo Nix Critics Ahead of Week 1 vs. Chiefs