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Tag: courtland sutton

  • Keeler: Broncos should spend Russell Wilson money on getting Bo Nix receivers without butterfingers

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    Say this for Sean Payton: He sure liked to spread the drops around.

    The Broncos were the only NFL team to place three players among the league’s top 15 in dropped passes during the regular season, per Pro-Football-Reference.com — wide receiver Courtland Sutton (eight), tight end Evan Engram (eight) and running back RJ Harvey (seven).

    No wonder a 15-4 record feels like such a Boverachievement, in retrospect.

    It’s going to be a beast to repeat if Payton and GM George Paton don’t add an experienced, proven wideout for Bo Nix in 2026. Or a big-time tight end. Better yet, both.

    What the heck. Russell Wilson is off the books, right? Paton is rolling into the offseason with diamond encrusted Walmart gift card in his wallet. Go nuts.

    “I think the position that this team, the position that we’re in, (we) have a win-now mentality,” Engram said Monday at Dove Valley as the Broncos cleaned out their lockers following a 10-7 loss to New England in the AFC Championship. “And there are some things that we can work with to even make our roster even better.

    “So, yeah — I have the utmost faith in the guys upstairs, all the decision-makers, the coach. They’ve done a great job since they’ve been here. They’ve built (a) championship team. Being able to add to that already, we’re in a great spot. We’ll be in a good spot for a while.”

    Yeah, but you’ve got to strike now. Nix is on a rookie contract through 2027. That time is going to fly by. Like the Nuggets with Jokic and Murray and the Avs with MacKinnon and Makar, this is the window. Right here. We going for this? Or not?

    “Obviously, we need some key players to come in and do what they need to do by getting points on the scoreboard,” veteran left tackle Garett Bolles noted Monday. “(We’ve) got a phenomenal defense. We have everything we need. We just need a couple more playmakers, and sky’s the limit for this team.”

    Almost everything. Nix can sling it with Sam Darnold all stinking day. What do the Super-Bowl-bound Seahawks have that the Broncos don’t? A bell cow tailback (Kenneth Walker) who has averaged 15 games per season over his career. And a No. 1 wideout (Jaxson Smith-Njigba) who’s putting up seven catches and 86 receiving yards per game this postseason.

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    Sean Keeler

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  • Broncos win AFC West for first time since 2015

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    A decade-long drought is over.

    The Broncos are AFC West champions again.

    The long wait ended Saturday evening in the midst of a long weekend for the Broncos, who beat Kansas City on Christmas night and then watched with joy as Houston knocked off the Los Angeles Chargers two days later.

    That result cemented the Broncos’ status as division champions by knocking the Chargers to 11-5, two games behind with just a Week 18 tilt between the teams at Empower Field remaining.

    Head coach Sean Payton has said since the beginning of the season that the team’s three goals, in order, are to win the division, earn the best seed possible and then play for a Super Bowl title.

    Now the first of those goals is achieved. Next weekend Denver will play for the second.

    The game against the Chargers loses some juice because, had Los Angeles won Saturday, it would have been a division championship game. Still, the stakes are plenty high for Payton’s team. A win secures the No. 1 seed in the AFC, a bye through the Wild Card round and the assurance that the playoffs will run through Denver as long as the Broncos are playing.

    Regardless of what happens in Week 18 — the NFL sets the playing slate after Week 17 action finishes, meaning the Broncos and Chargers could play Saturday or Sunday — Denver is assured of a top-3 seed in the conference and a home playoff game.

    The difference between the top spot and any other, though, should be plenty to keep Payton’s team motivated as it returns to the practice field this week.

    “We have to play the final game and we have to take care of it,” quarterback Bo Nix said Thursday night after beating the Chiefs but before the division was secured. “They’re going to be a good football team. Some other team could help us along the way, but at the end of the day, it is going to come down to us vs. them. We’re excited to have them at home. It is going to be a really good environment and atmosphere. It’s honestly a playoff atmosphere. It is going to be tough.”

    Now the Chargers have only seeding to play for, but Jim Harbaugh’s team has been a thorn in Payton’s side. Harbaugh to date is 3-0 against Denver since returning to the NFL before the 2024 season.

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    Parker Gabriel

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  • Renck: With Bo Nix, offense playing like this, it’s time to start looking for Broncos Super Bowl tickets

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    Bo Nix belongs to the past. And that is why the Broncos have such a bright future.

    Feel cheated you never saw John Elway execute a two-minute drive? Or Peyton Manning carve up a defense with a surgeon’s precision?

    All those are yesterday’s roses. It is time to give Nix his flowers. He is doing it right before your eyes.

    Qualifying standards are no longer measuring Nix. He is not playing well for his second season. He is playing well for any season.

    Pat Surtain II, Broncos defense shows championship mettle in second-half torrent vs. Packers

    There are still things that absolutely remind us of his inexperience. But they don’t matter. Not anymore. Not this season, because the Broncos have reached the point of no looking back.

    Against the best opponent they have faced, the Broncos knocked out the Packers, 34-26, on Sunday to clinch a second-consecutive playoff berth, while moving closer to securing the AFC’s top seed with a one-game lead over the Patriots.

    If the road to the postseason goes through Denver, then it ends in Santa Clara for the Broncos. It is that simple.

    No team is coming to Empower Field at Mile High with this altitude and with these fans and walking away with a win. For so long, the Broncos’ play suggested they would be an easy mark in the postseason, a notion reinforced by their winning their last five games by a combined 17 points.

    Nobody is suggesting that anymore. Not now. Not after Dre Greenlaw screamed in the Packers’ face before the game and Nix punched them in the throat during it.

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    Troy Renck

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  • Renck: Von Miller will always be a Bronco, even if playing for Denver again unlikely

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    ASHBURN, VA. – Von Miller knew the answer. But he could not resist asking the question.

    A free agent last summer, training camp approaching, Miller had not decided on a new team. Garett Bolles, in attendance at a Von’s Vision event in Colorado, urged his good friend to call the Broncos.

    Von had not played in Denver since 2021. Russell Wilson had him on a group text with Chandler Jones in 2022, asking for him to return. Von wisely sidestepped that “disaster of a season,” signing with the Buffalo Bills as Denver added Randy Gregory.
    Three years later, there was a new coach and new quarterback. Maybe the remodeling needed an old antique to complete the project.

    Von picked up his iPhone and dialed general manager George Paton.

    “When Garett brought it up, I was like, ‘Come on, man.’ You have Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper. But I started thinking, ‘You have all these people on the team and there’s not a spot for me? I know there probably won’t be, but let me check and see.’ I talked with George and I already had an idea how it was going to go. And that is exactly what he said.”

    There was no room for the 36-year-old Miller, not with backups Jonah Elliss and Dondrea Tillman capable of playing special teams. The conversation with Paton, the man who traded him to the Rams in 2021, was productive, but not for the reason he expected.

    “It was more about me taking the steps to get into a front office. He knows I want to be a GM someday (a goal inspired and encouraged by Bills GM Brandon Beane),” Miller told The Post on Friday. “I am still happy I did it. That was this season. What about next year?”

    Sitting below the No. 24 name plate — an ode to Champ Bailey and Kobe Bryant — in the Washington Commanders locker room, Von flashed that devilish grin, the one that appeared so often after his franchise-record 110.5 sacks with the Broncos.

    Truth be told, he would “love to return” to the Commanders. Would like a “rain check” after a lost season because of a battery of injuries to stars, including quarterback Jayden Daniels. Daniels is why Von chose Washington over the Seahawks.

    “Nothing against Sam Darnold, but it was Jayden Daniels. In my opinion, it was the best situation,” Miller said. “They were coming off the NFC Championship Game. And (coach) Dan Quinn had a plan for me as a veteran player. He gets it.”

    Of course, nothing has worked out, save for Von delivering as an effective situational rusher. He has five sacks in 11 games. He wants a third Super Bowl ring. But he is also motivated to collect eight more sacks, and have his sons, Valor and Victory, gain a better understanding of what their dad does for a living.

    That is why he fully intends to play next season. Get that number, and he will reach 142.5 for his career, ranking sixth all-time.

    “Myles Garrett is like 14 sacks behind me, and he came into the league six years after me. I don’t want to make the top 10 and get knocked out,” Miller said. “I want to stay there for 10 or 20 years. So, yeah, I definitely want to play another year, and who knows after that?”

    With Washington hosting the Broncos on Sunday night, Miller cannot avoid becoming nostalgic. He never wanted to leave, but knew his time was up after he called a captains meeting with coach Vic Fangio and Paton to discuss turning the season around and aiming for a division title.

    “It fell on deaf ears. What I realized later is that we were were so far removed from that. That’s all I knew from playing with Peyton Manning. But we had guys who couldn’t relate. It’s hard to get somebody to miss something they never had,” Miller said. “I was talking about winning a Super Bowl, and they were like, ‘What? We are try to win a single game.’ ”

    A few weeks later, Von was shipped out. He was surprised, the news bringing him to tears. He still wonders if he would have played his entire career in Denver if the Broncos had drafted someone like Bo Nix.

    “We never had a quarterback for a lot of years. No one special or elite,” Miller said. “And Bo fell in their lap. And you’ve got him with one of the greatest minds in NFL history, Sean Payton. And they have Courtland Sutton, Troy Franklin, and Marvin Mims, and that offensive line is way better than what we had in 2015. This year’s team is special. And if Bo Nix continues to take those leaps.”

    Miller catches himself. There he goes again. He cannot help it. When it comes to the Broncos, Von is a fan.

    He spent a decade in Denver, morphing into a future Hall of Famer. He made mistakes, grew up before our eyes, became a father — his third child, a daughter named Virtue, is due in January — a leader and a champion.

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    Troy Renck

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  • After putting out feelers, could Broncos look for more RB help in J.K. Dobbins’ absence?

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    The Broncos won the first war.

    But the Chiefs won a small battle that could prove important, in the weeks to come.

    A few days after Denver’s landmark 22-19 win over Kansas City, the Broncos quietly maneuvered to try to sign running back Dameon Pierce, a 2022 fourth-round pick by the Houston Texans. After rushing for 939 yards as a rookie, Pierce’s production had slipped for three straight years, and Houston officially cut bait with the 25-year-old on Thursday. Pierce cleared waivers, and the Broncos put a contract in front of him, a source told The Denver Post.

    Pierce signed a practice-squad deal with the Chiefs instead.

    The choice could be meaningless in the grand scheme of things, but the Broncos’ interest in the 215-pound Pierce makes clear, at the very least, that Denver isn’t completely settled in life on the ground without J.K. Dobbins.

    “Thought it was good,” Broncos head coach Sean Payton said of the team’s run-game, after the Kansas City win. “Good enough.”

    Good enough might not be good enough during the next six weeks and likely playoff run without Dobbins, the bell-cow back who the Broncos placed on injured reserve Nov. 15 with a foot injury. The Broncos came into that Chiefs matchup ranked ninth in the NFL in rushing at 128.6 yards per game, as Payton often turned to Dobbins in the second half of games when his passing game struggled. They finished with just 21 carries for 59 yards total against Kansas City, and were largely carried by a monster effort from second-year quarterback Bo Nix.

    Teams will likely scheme to take away Nix’s weapons in the passing games come January, though — from Courtland Sutton to Marvin Mims — and dare the Broncos to beat them on the ground without Dobbins. At present, there’s a minimal amount of experience and a minimal amount of demonstrated 2025 production in Denver’s backfield.

    One key piece on the roster is third-year back Jaleel McLaughlin, who immediately leapt from gameday inactive into a key role as the Broncos’ No. 2 RB against the Chiefs. And one didn’t need much context to sense how much a goal-line touchdown against Kansas City meant to McLaughlin, who blew a few kisses to the crowd in Denver and roared after a ferocious backward push sent him over the plane in the third quarter.

    “With Jaleel’s situation, just from the beginning of the season until now – I think he’s handled it very well,” receiver Troy Franklin said Monday. “He stayed ready. And when it came to one of our biggest games of the season so far, he showed up and he did what he needed to do for us.”

    That may be just the start for McLaughlin. Third-string RB Tyler Badie’s role wasn’t going to change, cemented as head coach Sean Payton’s third-down back. Rookie RB RJ Harvey has produced in fits and starts this season. McLaughlin wound up earning six carries against Kansas City and two key goal-line reps in the third quarter, and could be in the line for plenty more in the coming weeks.

    “Jaleel had a handful of good runs,” Payton said Monday. “I think with the flow of a normal game, he’s going to be important for us in this stretch.”

    McLaughlin’s sheer heart, though, won’t carry the Broncos’ backfield for two months. Particularly in short-yardage situations. Denver is now absent a heavier back on the roster. Rookie Harvey is the largest option, at 5-foot-8 and 205 pounds. Badie weighs in at 197, and McLaughlin stands at all of 5-foot-7. Practice-squad stash Deuce Vaughn is 5-foot-6 and 176 pounds.

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    Luca Evans

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  • How Broncos felt ‘difference of play-calling’ from Sean Payton in blowout of Cowboys

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    The head man smelled blood.

    Dallas came to Empower Field on Sunday afternoon wielding some of the best weapons in the game, but riddled with holes from weapons they couldn’t stop.

    This would be an old-fashioned mountain shootout between the Broncos and the Cowboys, the latter a franchise ranked dead-last in the NFL in total defense.

    “We wanted,” Sean Payton reflected later Sunday, “to keep them last.”

    Broncos analysis: RJ Harvey, rookie class shine in blowout win over Dallas. ‘Maybe they read someone’s article.’

    On Saturday night, in the kind of film-review meeting that normally glazes eyes, Payton introduced a semi-surprise. Joe Harrington, the Broncos’ director of football video, stitched together tape of 11 plays they’d repped throughout the week that Payton felt could go for touchdowns. And Harrington, at Payton’s behest, overlayed the college fight song of the scoring recipient on each play.

    Payton went around throughout the week asking players the names of those fight songs. Tight end Adam Trautman was accompanied by Dayton’s “We know we’ll make your team feel blue!” Rookie Pat Bryant heard Illinois’ famed “Oskee Wow-Wow.” Second-year Oregon product Troy Franklin got the Ducks’ “Go! Ducks! Go.” Players heard that song about five times, tight end Evan Engram cracked, a dead giveaway Franklin was due for a big game.

    Bryant’s eyes lit up when discussing the meeting. Franklin smiled that all the flair was “pretty funny.” Veteran receiver Trent Sherfield, who has played for six NFL franchises and seven head coaches, put it best.

    “It’s Sean, bro,” the 29-year-old told The Denver Post. “Like, he has a lot of tricks up his sleeve.”

    Payton whipped them all out a day later, throwing every grain of magic dust he had at the Cowboys in a 44-24 win that steadied concerns about the Broncos’ offensive inconsistency.

    Renck: With this version of Bo Nix, the extraordinary seems possible for Broncos

    After Bo Nix attacked the sidelines and middle of the field in a four-touchdown performance, and J.K. Dobbins stayed in rhythm in a 15-carry, 111-yard performance, Payton made one thing clear postgame: He didn’t think Dallas’ defense could keep up.

    Thus, the head coach recounted, he started to goad on his defense through four smashmouth quarters: Can you guys keep up with us?

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    Luca Evans

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  • Broncos’ Sean Payton not considering play-calling change, but “there’s a lot” to fix offensively

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    Sean Payton has no intention of handing play-calling duties off, even temporarily.

    The Broncos head coach, though, indicated Monday morning that almost anything else is on the table as he and his staff try to sort through what’s causing widespread offensive problems.

    Denver, of course, roared to life in the fourth quarter Sunday against the New York Giants, scored a franchise-record 33 fourth-quarter points and hung on for a wild-as-you’ll-see 33-32 victory.

    Sunrise, however, brought a new week and a sober Monday morning reality check about what the first 45-plus minutes looked like for Denver’s offense.

    The Broncos didn’t score. They had just 10 first downs and 180 offensive yards at 3.8 per play. Bo Nix entered the fourth quarter 11 of 25 for 105 yards passing.

    Even those numbers didn’t tell the entire story as the five plays to end the third quarter featured four carries for 48 yards from J.K. Dobbins and a 16-yard completion from Nix to Courtland Sutton.

    “It’s been encouraging that we’ve been able to finish some games, and yet we’re going to play in bigger games and we’re going to have to be a lot more efficient in the first half of games,” Payton said.

    The third-year Broncos coach said around 10 a.m. that players hadn’t yet been in for film review, but when that happened, they’d see myriad problems offensively.

    “We really didn’t amount to anything until we got into the end of the game — fourth quarter,” he said. “Mental errors, mistakes, snaps, wrong reads. You name it.”

    He sounded like a coach who is ready to put a lot of the offensive plan on the table with his staff and consider any number of changes to the group’s approach through seven games.

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    Parker Gabriel

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  • Broncos erase 19-point deficit to shock Giants behind Bo Nix’s 4 touchdowns

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    The Denver Broncos were punched in the mouth, but they were never knocked out.

    Second-year quarterback Bo Nix led Denver to a 33-point fourth quarter and guided the Broncos on a 19-point comeback victory to shock the New York Giants, 33-32, on Sunday.

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    Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) looks to pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the New York Giants in Denver, Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

    It felt like the Giants had the Broncos figured out for most of the game. The front seven was continuously getting their hands up to block Nix’s passes. The highly touted defense was making silly mistakes, which led to New York jumping out to a massive lead.

    The fourth quarter completely turned the game on its head.

    Nix started the fourth quarter finishing an eight-play, 78-yard touchdown drive that led to a Tony Franklin touchdown on a tipped pass. The Giants responded with a Jaxson Dart touchdown to Theo Johnson, who also caught a ricocheted ball off the hands of Wan’Dale Robinson.

    But Nix followed up with a 13-play, 74-yard drive that ended with a Nix rushing touchdown. Denver was down 10 points with 5:13 left in the game. The Broncos needed to force a mistake on defense and they got their wish. Justin Strnad intercepted Dart and got Denver into scoring position again.

    Troy Franklin celebrates a touchdown

    Denver Broncos wide receiver Troy Franklin (11) celebrates after scoring against the New York Giants during the second half of an NFL football game in Denver, Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025.  (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

    COMMANDERS’ JAYDEN DANIELS SUFFERS HAMSTRING INJURY VS COWBOYS

    Four plays later, Nix found RJ Harvey for a 2-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to three points. The Broncos forced the Giants to go three-and-out and it would result in Nix running for an 18-yard touchdown to take the lead.

    Dart fired back with a seven-play, 65-yard drive that ended with a touchdown run on the goal line. He implored his teammates to go win the game, but the Giants’ defense failed to make any semblance of a defensive stop.

    Nix found Marvin Mims Jr. and Courtland Sutton quickly to move the ball up the field. He was able to set up a Will Lutz 39-yard game-winning field goal.

    It was truly a miracle at Mile High.

    Nix was 27-of-50 with 279 passing yards, two touchdown passes and two rushing touchdowns. Sutton finished with six catches for 87 yards. Mims had six catches for 85 yards.

    Brian Burns celebrates with his teammates

    New York Giants linebacker Brian Burns (0) is congratulated by teammates after sacking Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix during the first half of an NFL football game in Denver, Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025.  (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

    Dart was 15-of-33 with 283 passing yards, three touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown. The Broncos defense mostly kept him from scrambling out of the pocket. The loss was more demoralizing than being held to just 11 rushing yards.

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    Denver improved to 5-2 on the year. New York fell to 2-5.

    Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

    Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.

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  • Broncos-Jets report card: Sean Payton’s offensive slump, sloppy special-teams play nearly down Denver

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    The Broncos narrowly avoided a baffling loss to the Jets in London on Sunday with another fourth-quarter defensive stand, improving to 4-2 through six games after a 13-11 victory. Here’s The Denver Post’s report card from the day.

    OFFENSE — D+

    Sean Payton got Bo Nix rolling in the first quarter Sunday, calling for a bunch of quick throws over the middle. Nix looked every bit the same guy who torched the Eagles in the fourth quarter last week, dicing up the Jets for 112 first-quarter yards and a beautiful end-of-quarter drive. And then, in a baffling combination of play-calling and execution, Payton downshifted Denver’s offense into purgatory for three quarters.

    Nix had just a handful of completions after the first quarter. The Broncos had their worst rushing game of the year, with just 40 yards on 14 carries for the steady J.K. Dobbins. Star receiver Courtland Sutton finished with just one catch for 17 yards on three targets, and Denver had just one first-quarter touchdown to Nate Adkins on a secondary breakdown to show for themselves.

    DEFENSE — A+

    This was a “defensive team” today, as Sean Payton said postgame. And as Denver fumbled its offensive identity away with Troy Franklin’s first-quarter giveaway, the Broncos’ pass-rush scooped an entire organization up again, as Vance Joseph’s attack has so often done. Jets quarterback Justin Fields looked like a fawn in the headlights of a London double-decker bus, and the Broncos finished with a ridiculous nine sacks. That’s tied for the second-most in a single game in franchise history, according to StatMuse.

    Don’t forget about the Broncos’ secondary, either, as Pat Surtain II held another top receiver in purgatory in the Jets’ Garrett Wilson. Denver’s linebackers had one of their best games of the season, too, as the Jets’ running backs had just one catch for minus-1 yard and tight end Mason Taylor had one catch for 2 yards. And Talanoa Hufanga continued to fly around like a calamity let loose from Pandora’s box, adding a key third-down pass-breakup on the Jets’ final offensive drive.

    SPECIAL TEAMS — D

    No way else to put it: Darren Rizzi is off to a bad start in his Broncos tenure. There was the Week 2 leverage incident. There have been consistently meh returns on kickoffs for Marvin Mims Jr. and breakdowns in kick coverage. And Week 6 in London was the worst day yet, as the Jets nearly stole a game thanks to Jets special teams coordinator Chris Banjo — an assistant on Denver’s staff last year — out-executing Rizzi for four quarters. New York had a 72-yard kickoff return, outgained a tentative Marvin Mims by 89 combined yards across punt and kickoff returns, and beat the Broncos on one fourth-and-1 fake punt that Rizzi had sniffed out.

    COACHING — D

    Vance Joseph is single-handedly pulling this one up from an F. Again, the Broncos’ defensive coordinator mixed in a variety of pressures and went with a gutsy all-out blitz on a first-down sack on the Jets’ last drive, matching his game-calling perfectly with the Jets’ utter lack of juice in the passing game.

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    Luca Evans

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  • The Bo Nix Index, Week 5: How tempo, blitz recognition keyed QB’s fourth-quarter breakout

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    Eventually, they stopped talking about points. Bo Nix, and the rest of the Broncos’ offense around him made clear: they needed to go get six.

    They had punted on six straight possessions in Philadelphia. Nix was playing some of his worst football in a topsy-turvy start. He “wasn’t happy,” as he put it postgame.

    And then a shining version of Nix unfurled before the hostile Philly crowd, the best version of the second-year quarterback shooting the Eagles down in the fourth quarter in one of the most important performances of his young career.

    “We handled it how we handled it,” Nix said after the Broncos’ 21-17 win, “and we went out and won the game.”

    Welcome back to The Denver Post’s Bo Nix Index, reviewing every drop-back from Nix’s performance the previous week. For Week 5, let’s focus specifically on the factors that contributed to the quarterback’s star-making final frame: 9-of-10 passing, 127 yards, a touchdown. Plenty of reps both explained Nix’s erratic play early and his steadiness down the stretch. Here are four key themes.

    1. Nix favors tempo. It worked against Eagles

    Last week, head coach Sean Payton noted that Nix “likes tempo” to start a game — a kind of fast-paced offense that incorporates no-huddle and motion to wear defenses down. Within that, too, Payton hinted his staff has adapted to reduce verbiage in play calls so Nix can get to the line quicker.

    “He’ll have input like, ‘Hey, this is a play I really like, can we get that in?’” Lombardi said of Nix. “And nine times out of 10, we do it.”

    Denver went straight to tempo in their first drive against the Eagles. Nix clapped his hands in an early no-huddle third-down look, smoothly one-handing a high snap, pivoting, and firing a quick comebacker to Courtland Sutton for a first down. The Broncos went no-huddle three times across that first drive, and Nix moved them into Philadelphia territory before a sack by Cooper DeJean stalled the drive.

    After veering away from tempo in the third quarter, Nix got rolling in Denver’s early fourth-quarter drive with some faster looks. He hit Sutton again on a quick play-action back-shoulder ball for a first down to push the Broncos into Eagles territory. His eventual game-tying touchdown pass came off tempo, as Nix cycled through his reads while rolling out and found Evan Engram for a score.

    Nix has a 108.8 quarterback rating this season on play-action passes, and a 101.5 QB rating when taking less than 2.5 seconds to throw, according to Next Gen Stats. Generally, he appears to make quicker decisions when Payton speeds up opposing defenses.

    2. Nix scraps strange statue-feet habit

    As has been pointed out in previous Bo Nix Indexes, the QB is better when he actually sets his feet to throw — and more importantly, doesn’t drift. But Nix also has a particular mechanical quirk at the opposite end of the spectrum. At times, on quick-hits, he’ll take a snap and fire with only a tiny tap of his front foot, generating little lower-body momentum.

    Sometimes, it works out fine — like a second-quarter strike to Trent Sherfield, when Nix fired quickly to expose an opening in the middle of the Eagles’ zone. But it can also backfire.

    On a late Broncos third-quarter drive that stalled out, Nix had receiver Marvin Mims Jr. open on a short flare on third-and-2. He turned his body in Mims’ direction toward the right sideline. But instead of shuffling his feet again to point parallel at Mims, Nix planted near-horizontally and fired a sidearm throw. The ball sailed and tipped off an outstretched Mims’ fingertips for an ugly incompletion.

    Nix’s feet went topsy-turvy at times throughout the fourth quarter, as he’s wont to do. But each of his most visible strikes — a 10-yard hit to Troy Franklin, an 18-yard crosser to Engram, a pivotal 34-yard connection with Sutton — came with drive off his back foot. He switched off statue mode, and the Broncos were better for it.

    3. Nix deciphered and felt out pressure much more quickly in fourth quarter

    Broncos third-string running back Tyler Badie got more snaps on Sunday than rookie RJ Harvey, in large part because Denver trusts him more in pass protection (and two-minute situations). Badie absolutely wiped out Eagles inside linebacker Zack Baun on an early third-down ILB blitz.

    Harvey, meanwhile, got smoked by DeJean on a blitz on that same drive, and Nix nearly was dinged for a game-changing sack-fumble.

    That play knocked the Broncos out of field-goal range and an early opportunity to put points on the board. But it wasn’t all on Harvey. Nix had a few puzzling moments where he got himself into trouble against the Eagles by not feeling pressure off the edge.

    Harvey wasn’t even blocking DeJean on Nix’s blind side, and the quarterback had ample room to step up or even escape the pocket on that third down. This played out again in the second quarter, when Azeez Ojulari got an angle on Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles and hit Nix for an incompletion when he didn’t step up.

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    Luca Evans

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  • Sean Payton, Evan Engram got ‘pissed’ at each other in Broncos’ win over Eagles. Then they clicked.

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    Eventually, Evan Engram’s body language said enough for Sean Payton to speak up.

    The touches weren’t there on Sunday through three quarters. They hadn’t been this year. Payton trotted out reserve tight end Lucas Krull on Denver’s first offensive series of 2025 and has kept trusty Adam Trautman on the field for a majority of the Broncos’ snaps. As Denver sank in Philadelphia, their $23 million mismatch tight end again felt more like a mismatch for Payton’s offense than he did for opposing defenses.

    Payton sensed frustration, as Engram had one catch for minus-3 yards late into the third. And the head coach “got after him a little,” as Payton recalled postgame.

    Broncos Analysis: In dominating trenches vs. Philly, Sean Payton’s team finally has road map to loftier goals

    “I was pissed at him,” Payton said. “He was pissed at me.”

    The corners of Payton’s mouth turned up because of the breakthrough he ignited in an eventual 21-17 win in Philadelphia.

    “Don’t think I like it any other way,” Engram said. “I like to be coached hard. And Sean will definitely let you know when he’s upset. He’ll let you know even when he’s excited or happy, too.

    “So it was just good to start getting involved, and just help the offense.”

    Payton made an effort to call Engram’s number on a fourth-quarter drive that upended the game. And Engram made an effort, period. First came an 18-yard snag over the middle, as the 6-foot-3 Engram stretched for a fingertip grab on a first down. And as the Broncos motored into Philadelphia’s red zone with a chance to tie, Nix rolled out on a bootleg as Eagles outside linebacker Joshua Uche Jr. barreled down his line of sight.

    Running back Tyler Badie, flaring out of the backfield, wasn’t open. Courtland Sutton, Nix’s go-to man, was blanketed. So Nix did what he’s rarely done through five games: look back to Engram as a safety, sitting a few yards beyond the line of scrimmage.

    Engram caught Nix’s toss, ran through the diving arms of Philadelphia’s Jalen Carter, and dove into the end zone with his first score in a Broncos uniform.

    “He adds a level of experience, slash, competitive nature that not everybody in that situation has, especially not playing a whole lot, probably as much as he wanted to,” Nix said postgame. “But he never really complained, never wavered.”

    Broncos sending LG Ben Powers back to Denver after biceps injury vs. Eagles

    Payton confirmed that Engram wasn’t Nix’s primary read on that game-tying score. That’s a key development for Denver. Engram’s slow start hasn’t come from a lack of play design. Nix and Payton have both said previously that the Broncos have scripted concepts for him. The problem has been that Engram hasn’t lingered often on the field on plays where he’s not a first target, and Nix has rarely looked his way as an escape valve.

    This is a process, the 31-year-old Engram has said. He found the next step in a four-catch, 33-yard day that felt much bigger in the fourth quarter than on the stat sheet.

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    Luca Evans

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  • Renck: In signature win for Sean Payton, Broncos prove they’re afraid of nobody with remarkable comeback vs. Eagles

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    PHILADELPHIA — The quarterback fought frustration. The tight end remained in witness protection. The cornerback got cooked.

    The penalties, each more ridiculous than the last, mounted. The Broncos were on the verge of getting skunked.

    Then something remarkable happened. They finished.

    They met the moment. At last.

    Trailing by 14 points against the defending champion Eagles, who had not lost a home game in 13 months, the Broncos rallied for a 21-17 victory, surviving a heart-in-a-blender Hail Mary pass.

    Broncos Analysis: In dominating trenches vs. Philly, Sean Payton’s team finally has road map to loftier goals

    This game threatened to become a blowout. Instead, it became the blueprint. You saw it. Run the ball. Convert third downs. Use the middle of the field. Turn Nik Bonitto loose (not sure if he showers after games or just licks his paws).

    As the football sat lonely in the corner of the end zone with time expired, safety Talanoa Hufanga taunted Philadelphia fans, raising his arms in the air for dramatic effect. The swagger and confidence were no longer just a locker room thing, but in the light for everyone to see.

    The Broncos are back in every January conversation.

    They are 3-2 and should be favored in their next seven games. In a remarkable final 15 minutes, they transformed the lingering narrative that they were frauds into a story inspiring fear.

    These players, who were the equivalent of a clenched fist after walk-off losses to the Colts and Chargers, punched back.

    Enough was enough.

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    Troy Renck

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  • Broncos TE Evan Engram on track to play vs. Bengals, still has ‘trust’ in team’s plan for him

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    Evan Engram has been through the high of the highest and the lowest of the low, ex-Giants tight end coach Lunda Wells put it this offseason. These days, he tends to stay somewhere in between.

    The Broncos’ much-hyped tight end is back on track to play in Week 4, after two straight days of full participation in practice. It’s a Monday night chance to stabilize an early tenure in Denver that hasn’t gone to plan. In Week 1, the 31-year-old tweaked his calf . In Week 2, his back “flared up,” as Engram told The Denver Post on Friday.

    Engram said his back “feels good” on Friday, though, and largely shrugged off his rocky start.

    “I feel like God just kinda throws little curveballs at you sometimes,” Engram told The Post. “And I just take pride in responding to it the best way I can. And I think everything’s leading in the right direction.”

    After missing last week’s practices and game against the Chargers, the Broncos’ self-dubbed “cleaner” has returned to tidy up a messy offensive kitchen in Denver. Quarterback Bo Nix has lacked a consistent option over the middle, beyond Courtland Sutton on crossing routes. The Broncos still have yet to get any passing-game production from their tight ends, a room with a collective 10 catches for 63 yards.

    That lack of production is precisely why the Broncos signed Engram back in March. In the two games he’s played, though, Engram’s been on the field less than half of Denver’s offensive snaps — and coach Sean Payton made clear last week that injuries hadn’t played a factor in his on-field role.

    “I don’t know if there’s anything that hasn’t clicked,” offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said Friday. “I think, a little bit like the running backs, we’ve got a bunch of tight ends that we like. And they all do different things well.

    “But, yeah — we’re aware of what that guy’s strengths are. And he’ll be getting going here real soon.”

    Engram nodded when asked if he feels there’s a plan to escalate his usage.

    “I really do,” he told The Post. “That’s one of the big reasons why I came here, is because I trust the coaches. I trust their plan for me. And I think new things like this take time.”

    Engram noted it took a “couple weeks” to find his groove when he first arrived in Jacksonville in 2022, after playing five years with the New York Giants. Indeed, in his third and fourth games of that first year with the Jaguars, Engram had a combined two catches on four targets .

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    Luca Evans

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  • Keeler: Can Broncos QB Bo Nix be fixed? Yep! But Sean Payton needs to do these 4 things first

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    Can we really call Bo Nix’s feet “happy” when they make Broncos Country so miserable?

    If I’m Sean Payton, the first thing I’m doing with Nix is sitting the quarterback down in my office. The second thing is popping open my laptop. The third is showing Nix a clip of the last 45 seconds from the first half of Broncos-Chargers this past Sunday.

    The fourth is congratulating the kid for finding Courtland Sutton over the top for a sumptuous 52-yard score on fourth-and-2. The fifth is asking Nix to lean in closer to the laptop. To take a long, careful look at his tootsies on that perfect rainbow to Sutton.

    They’re set.

    Like a mighty oak. Right foot planted. Rock back. Smooth release. Easy money.

    Nix has 21 NFL starts under his belt. He still tippy-taps in the pocket like a skittish rookie.

    We love Bo because he can go “off-script,” which is football shorthand for improvising when stuff hits the fan. The ability to turn nothing into something.

    The problem: Nix’s feet are so fast, they’re sometimes two steps ahead of his brain.

    He’s a talented young man locked in an almost constant internal struggle. His upper half is running the play while his lower half is plotting an escape route.

    When the two are in tandem, you get Sutton walking, untouched, into the end zone. But those joys are rare these days. Bo’s mechanics won’t allow it.

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    Sean Keeler

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  • Broncos locker room defends Bo Nix after Chargers loss: ‘It’s not on him’

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    INGLEWOOD, Calif. — J.K. Dobbins has spent six long years in the NFL, a running back smart enough to make it to 26 in this league because of his vision between the tackles. Because of his balance. Because of his ability to see what’s coming, as an onslaught of bodies turns toward him.

    He saw what was coming in the locker room Sunday, too, as an onslaught of narratives turned toward him.

    After Bo misses a couple of throws today — nope. Dobbins shook his head. Then he nipped a question about his quarterback in the bud before it even began.

    “Nah, he ain’t miss no throws,” Dobbins replied. “He ain’t miss no throws. He played a great game.

    “And we got his back, I got his back,” the running back continued. “He’s a great quarterback. It’s a team game. We lost as a team. It’s not on him. Guys gotta — I gotta make more plays for him.”

    Bo Nix is wired to win, sure. He’s also wired to not lose. His motivation pulls from the self-expressed fear of not being enough for his locker room. That concept, Nix professed in July, is what will keep him from enduring an off year in Year 2.

    After Sunday’s 23-20 loss to the Chargers, though, Nix sits well below last year’s second-half takeoff in yards per attempt (5.6), QB rating (83.4) and completion percentage (64.2%). And Dobbins might disagree — but the Broncos quarterback left a few massive plays on the field Sunday.

    There was Nix’s misfire on a second-quarter third-and-16, when Payton conjured up some magic from the dregs of his play-caller’s cauldron and Nix had a wide-open Marvin Mims Jr. streaking to the end zone … only to bomb it just long.

    There was Nix’s misfire on a third-quarter end-zone throw to Mims, when he had him streaking toward the end zone from 28 yards out … only to get whacked and fire it just past his fingertips.

    And there was Nix’s misfire on a damning fourth-quarter go-ball to Courtland Sutton, when the quarterback had his go-to man streaking free on a third-and-10 … only to chuck it just past his fingertips.

    Through it all, even as Nix has been a mixed bag to start his sophomore year, a locker room well aware of their 25-year-old QB’s psyche has formed a verbal shield around their leader.

    “I always tell Bo, it’s never always on him,” Sutton said in the locker room Sunday. “It’s a full team effort. None of us go out there and play a perfect game.

    “And, I don’t want him to ever feel the pressure of needing to be perfect for us to go out there and be successful. We all have our hand in the pot.”

    Nix finished 14-of-25 passing for 153 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions — a stat-line that’d ordinarily seem fine but belied the underlying truth of several massive missed opportunities. Head coach Sean Payton, though, emphasized there was “no conversation” necessary with Nix after overthrowing a few such opportunities, the same HC that scoffed at any need for a Nix “growth meter” early in 2025.

    “Keep slinging,” Payton said. “The last thing we want is to — I mean, man, those are almost spot-on.”

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    Luca Evans

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  • Broncos-Chargers report card: Bo Nix, Sean Payton’s offense can’t connect late

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    In the second straight Sunday with a gut-wrenching loss, the Broncos fell three games to the back of the pack of the AFC West with a 23-20 loss to the Chargers. Here’s The Post’s report card from the loss.

    OFFENSE — C-

    Where to even begin? The Broncos’ first three drives Sunday went for three straight three-and-outs, a haunted house of penalties, ineffective run-blocking and personnel scattering on and off the field like lab rats. Up until a two-minute drill to end the first half, Denver had exactly 42 yards of offense. And then Sean Payton cast magic.

    Bo Nix’s 52-yard touchdown bomb to Courtland Sutton on a fourth-and-2 opened the floodgates, and J.K. Dobbins got rolling in the second half after finishing with negative yardage in the first. But Denver bungled five — five — chances to extend their lead to two scores in the second half after taking resounding control of the game in the second half. The final one was a killer: Nix overthrowing Sutton streaking down the right sideline on a third-and-10 by a few fingertips. An image that’ll live in Broncos fans’ heads for a long time.

    DEFENSE — B+

    The demise of the Broncos’ pass-rush was greatly exaggerated.

    Denver had three first-quarter sacks and never let up on Justin Herbert all day, even when the Chargers’ offense got going. It takes a significant amount of force to keep the 6-foot-6, 236-pound Herbert on the turf, and yet Dondrea Tillman popped him so hard in the fourth quarter that Herbert lay for a few beats after a third-down completion. The Chargers’ offensive line seemed to be simply waving feathers at the Broncos’ front in the second half, with Nik Bonitto blowing up star Los Angeles tackle Joe Alt all afternoon. But Herbert’s iron-clad frame kept firing, and the Chargers’ quarterback diced up the Broncos’ secondary on a couple of fourth-quarter drives to finish with 300 yards on the day.

    SPECIAL TEAMS — B-

    Darren Rizzi’s follow-up to a Week 2 disaster started with … more disaster. As the defense got off the field on the Chargers’ second drive of the day, outside linebacker Nik Bonitto somehow lined up in the neutral zone in punt coverage, giving the ball back on an offsides penalty. Punter Jeremy Crawshaw’s first boot fluttered outside the 20. Chargers punt returner Demario Davis reversed a second-quarter punt for 33 yards, too.

    But Rizzi’s units pulled together nicely over the course of Sunday — and had a massive third-quarter swing on a strip-fumble by Jonah Elliss. Marvin Mims Jr. continued to feel out lanes in the return game, finishing with 56 yards on two punt returns, and Crawshaw had a banner day with a 47.1 average on seven punts.

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    Luca Evans

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  • Broncos’ Bo Nix, Sean Payton explain — in slightly different terms — sideline interaction vs. Colts

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    As Bo Nix jogged past head coach Sean Payton on the sideline during the third quarter Sunday afternoon at Indianapolis, Payton tried to say something to him.

    Nix carried on toward the bench before Payton turned him around by calling after him. The conversation that ensued was a lively one.

    It followed a stalled drive, which began to go south when Nix and rookie running back RJ Harvey weren’t on the same page for a run play, leading to a broken scramble from Nix. Two plays later, Denver punted.

    On Wednesday, both Nix and Payton downplayed the exchange, though they remembered it differently.

    “It wasn’t what it appeared,” Payton said Wednesday. “It was an affirmation of, ‘This is what we’re wanting to do.’ I was looking at it and trying to think — I don’t recall — I think it was more about excitement. I saw it, and it was following, I think, a series where we ran it pretty well.

    “I would know if there was ever one of those moments. I guess what I’m saying is I don’t think it was what it appeared. In fact, I know it wasn’t.”

    The Broncos did, indeed, run the ball well on their first possession of the third quarter, but then ran three times for 6 yards on the drive that preceded the exchange, including the Nix scramble on the broken play.

    Nix, for his part, said he had to repeat what happened on a play for the preceding series because of the noise in Lucas Oil Stadium.

    “For whatever reason, we’re allowing conversations to become bigger than what they are,” Nix said Wednesday. “We oftentimes forget that it’s a big stadium and a lot of people are talking at the same time, so you’ve got to be a little louder and more vocal.

    “That was just something as simple as, he asked me what happened on a play, I told him. I turned, and he couldn’t quite hear, so I turned back and told him again. There was no issue. Yeah, it was just a quick conversation with the head coach. Nothing pressing.”

    Nix didn’t look to be pressing much at all Sunday.

    He and the offense failed to score on three second-half drives that could have extended a lead in the Broncos’ eventual 29-28 last-second loss, but the second-year quarterback on the whole played much better in Week 2 than in Week 1.

    “There’s plenty of good plays, but I’m focused on the ones that didn’t go our way, because that’s how you learn and get better and find ways to improve,” Nix said Wednesday.

    Nix threw touchdown passes to Marvin Mims Jr., Troy Franklin and Adam Trautman. For most of the first three quarters, he played with good rhythm despite a lack of production from top receiver Courtland Sutton (one catch for 6 yards) and Engram (one catch for 12).

    “Sometimes if it’s a progression read, then it’s a progression, and who gets it sometimes maybe isn’t as easy to predict,” Payton said. “There’s other times where you can try to work for an isolation — a lot of it is scheme-dependent. But the new guys here, we talk about (receivers Trent Sherfield Sr. and Pat Bryant), those guys are getting acclimated and obviously they give you flexibility.”

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    Parker Gabriel

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  • Renck: Blaming refs for Broncos’ loss to Colts is just plain dumb. This one’s on Denver

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    INDIANAPOLIS — Time to run mental lapses.

    And extra gassers at the end of practice.

    Here in Naptown, a poster with Colts players adorns the J.W. Marriott, paying tribute to late team owner Jim Irsay. It reads: For the Boss. For the City. For the Shoe.

    For the love of God, this ending was stupid. A series of cognitive disconnects, each more costly than the last, resulted in a 29-28 walk-off loss for the Broncos.

    This wasn’t just a Denver loss; this was the ultimate brain freeze. Like guzzling a 32-ounce Slurpee through a straw in a single drink.

    Unwisely conceived: Darren Rizzi, why ask Dondrea Tillman to try to block a 60-yard field goal from a kicker who has never made a 50-yarder? Poorly executed: If you are going to speed, even if by one mile per hour over, don’t get caught — and stained by failure.

    The Broncos were dealt their first loss of the season in their first road game of the season in a way that, as far as the internet can tell, was a first.

    In four weeks, if your friends ask you how the Broncos’ special season became ordinary, the story starts here. When they ask you at the office Christmas party why they have to win out against Kansas City and the Chargers to make the playoffs, remind them of the Colts.

    The Broncos put themselves in a dangerous position with upcoming cage matches against the Chargers, Bengals and Eagles by squandering a game the Colts were begging for them to win. Or at least coach Shane Steichen was as he performed his best Nathaniel Hackett Clueless in Seattle impersonation.

    When writing the Broncos’ history since Super Bowl 50, what unfolded before our wide eyes demands an entry. Let’s start at the end and work backward.

    Leading 28-26, the Broncos took possession at their 35-yard line with 8:29 remaining. On an afternoon when the offense finally awoke from its summer hibernation, this represented a chance for a statement drive in a benchmark game. Siphon the clock. Kick a short field goal, and let the beleaguered defense leave with its dignity with a clinching sack of Daniel Jones.

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    Troy Renck

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  • Renck: Time to worry about Broncos’ Bo Nix? Check back after this week vs. Colts

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    Bo Nix has more in common with Reggie Jackson than Lamar.

    Maybe the explanation for his slow starts is that simple. Nix is the Broncos’ Mr. October. His play changes with the leaves and pumpkin spice lattes.

    It was this time a year ago that Nix looked like a baby giraffe on roller skates. And it only got worse in Week 4 when he couldn’t grip the football in the rain against the Jets.

    And here we are in September again, and Nix isn’t exactly inspiring confidence. It was one week. And specifically Week 1. But man, the offense was ugly, forgettable and boring, wasn’t it? Sean Payton seems fine with Nix, blames himself for the play-calling and shields his quarterback from criticism to such a degree that it is weird.

    We have not reached the “everyone freak out stage.” Not yet. But with games on the horizon against the Chargers and Bengals, it will be time to worry if Nix plays poorly this week.

    This is suddenly a scary matchup against the Colts after they demolished the Dolphins. They looked like a playoff team last Sunday. The Broncos did not.

    No quarterback performed worse in a Week 1 win than Nix.

    “I know I can be a lot better,” he admitted after Wednesday’s practice.

    What happened against the Titans reminded me of Texas’ Arch Manning at Ohio State. We weren’t sure what it was going to look like, but we know it wasn’t supposed to look like that. Nix threw off balance. He threw into double coverage. He threw sidearm.

    He finished with two interceptions and lost his first fumble in 19 NFL games. Sometimes disappointment is traced to expectations. And that definitely applies to Nix after he led the Broncos to their first playoff berth since 2015.

    My concern is one that surfaced over the summer. He never caught fire in June, failed to wow in training camp, save for a few scrimmage series against the 49ers and Cardinals, and remained uneven in two preseason games. His play has been a mirror of the offense. There are glimpses of improvement that are quickly overshadowed by long bouts of ineffectiveness.

    The Broncos can win Sunday because their defense is so (bleeping) good. But they cannot stand more carelessness.

    Nix needs to stop chasing perfection and focus on precision.

    There’s nothing wrong with a couple of first downs and teeing up Vance Joseph’s charges with a long punt. Nix knows who he can be. He has to understand who he is on game day. If he’s not feeling it, put the ball in your pocket.

    You can’t lose to the Colts because you can’t control an impulse. Nix, a coach’s son through and through, recognizes this. But will he do it?

    Well……

    “In the future, maybe not be so aggressive,” Nix said. “But at the same time, it’s what makes quarterbacks good. It’s a fine line.”

    It really isn’t. It is a flashing neon sign in the construction zone at Dove Valley, screaming, “Proceed with caution.” This is not about taking the wag out of the puppy’s tail. We want Nix to play with passion and enthusiasm, but he must be more strategic.

    Some of you don’t see it. You see Nix as the face of the franchise, the future, the reason for hope. And it makes sense. I was right there with you after last season. But give me space to remind you that Nix never went on a heater this summer. He has earned our faith that everything will soon be all right. The time is now to minimize the wrong.

    “It’s not about the stats and perfection, for me it’s a standard I have for myself. With our defense, we can definitely make sure at times to give them great field position and we will get the ball back and go right back to work,” Nix said. “Overall, we want to play complementary football, but we definitely have high standards for our offense.”

    Nix must prove he can do it this month.

    In September games, he has completed 60.7% of his passes with two touchdowns and six interceptions in 178 attempts. In all other games, including the postseason, he boasts a 66 completion percentage with 28 touchdowns and eight picks.

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    Troy Renck

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  • Bo Nix shoulders blame for Broncos’ Week 1 offensive struggles: ‘I have to do a much better job’

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    They went one by one at the Broncos captains’ dinner on Monday, veterans of this league who have climbed the mountaintop and know the footing the trek requires. Wil Lutz. Talanoa Hufanga. D.J. Jones. Each gave their speech. Each bared their hearts.

    Last of all came Bo Nix, the 25-year-old anointed one who’s never met anyone who expects more of him than he expects of himself.

    He spoke and set a bar for a group of men who respected him enough to not only listen to his words but feel them. John Franklin-Myers and Marvin Mims Jr. recounted his words separately in the days to come.

    “We have this team that’s been put together. Each one of us are hand-picked,” Franklin-Myers recalled Nix saying. “But our goal should be to go out there and win every game.”

    There are three kinds of teams in this league, Nix continued, as Mims remembered. The team that wants to go out and simply compete. The team that wants to go out and win. And the team that wants to go out and dominate.

    These Broncos, Nix emphasized, needed to be the team that dominates.

    “Shoot, something like that is powerful from a quarterback, a younger guy,” Franklin-Myers said Friday. “And you see that type of fire from him, and it kinda gets you going.”

    Nix did not dominate in Sunday afternoon’s win over Tennessee, his first start since a rookie campaign that cratered and then skyrocketed. Far from it. He threw a bad cross-body interception in the first quarter on a ball that sailed to Courtland Sutton. He threw a worse one in the third quarter on a ball to a double-covered Troy Franklin that had no business even being thrown. He ran directly into a strip-sack in the second quarter for the first lost fumble he’s had since he played at Auburn. He finished 25-of-40 passing for 176 yards, a touchdown, and a passer rating of 60, the third-worst game of his NFL career.

    And still, new safety Hufanga came strolling to a podium postgame wearing a beaming smile and a grey T-shirt that had a giant decal of Nix.

    “I got a lot of confidence,” Hufanga said. “I wouldn’t be wearing this shirt if I didn’t have confidence in my guy. He’s a Christian man that just goes out there and leads us.

    “So, regardless of what kind of day he has, I know I got his back, and he got mine.”

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    Luca Evans

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