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HOUSTON — I don’t believe in Santa Claus. But, by golly, I believe in Bo Chapman Nix.
The Easter Bunny? Fuzzy-wuzzy fraud. The Tooth Fairy? Fake chews. But if a game is within 19 points at the start of the fourth quarter, just watch the Bo-ller Coaster go to work. Just watch him find a way.
“I think a really good issue to have is when you’re finding these ugly wins, because I don’t think it’ll always be like that,” the Broncos’ tow-headed quarterback said Sunday after rallying Denver to an 18-15 victory at Houston — a game he trailed 15-7 at the start of the fourth quarter.
“For right now, the ugly wins are how we’re doing it, so that’s just what we’re gonna continue to find ways to do. Now, obviously, we’ve got to improve in many different areas. But the ugly wins, they’re important. They’re important down the stretch. And if you can find them and you can win these one-possession games, it helps you in the future … you gotta learn how to win those.”
The Broncos are 5-2 in one-score games. They were 1-6 a year ago. Among Broncos quarterbacks, only John Elway and Peyton Manning have accounted for more fourth-quarter/overtime comebacks than Nix has in orange and blue. Seven rescues in 26 NFL starts. Tim Tebow, by the way, managed six.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
But fool me seven times?
You either got it. Or you don’t.
Bo’s got it.
“Nothing fazes him,” Broncos fullback Adam Prentice told me in the locker room after Denver’s sixth straight victory and second walk-off win in three weeks. “You think about the Giants game, we’re down a bunch (19-0 after three quarters), and (from him) it’s, ‘Hey, next play, let’s score and go to the next one.’ Which helps us in the huddle, and it keeps everybody even keel and just lets you focus on the job.
“It’s kind of the unspoken word. Like, we know we can do it, and we’re gonna do it. We’re gonna answer the call when we need to.”
The stats were uglier than the scoreboard — 17 completions on 36 throws, 170 passing yards, two scores and an interception.
Context: The Texans rolled in with the No. 1 scoring defense in the NFL for a reason. The 49ers managed 175 passing yards here last week. The Titans collected 93. Tampa Bay managed 191.
In Week 8, Nix scored 44 points against Dallas, the best offense in the NFL. In Week 9, he walked off the NFL’s best defense, a desperate bunch trying to avoid five losses, in its backyard.
Nix went into the fourth quarter having completed nine passes in 21 attempts for just 97 yards. Over the next 15 minutes, he made good on 9 of 16 attempts for 76 yards and a score, along with three rushes for 36 yards. His 25-yard scramble to daylight set up Wil Lutz’s game-winning kick.
“Describe Bo today in a word,” I asked Prentice.
He tilted his head for a second.
“Competitor,” Prentice replied.
“Why?” I wondered.
“Because, regardless of the situation, he’s going to come out and make plays and compete,” the Broncos fullback continued. “Like I was saying with the Giants game, it doesn’t matter what situation we’re in, he’s going to go out there and sling it or run it or hand it to the backs, do whatever he’s got to do. And we’re going to go make a play. It just doesn’t matter. We’re going to go out there and execute.”
Eventually. Yes, beating Houston backup QB Davis Mills on the road has a different aftertaste than beating C.J. Stroud, who left early with a concussion.
Yes, Nix needs to run more. Selectively. Wisely. On at least two fourth-quarter throws, No. 10 elected to stay in the pocket, step up and force the ball downfield instead of tucking and running. Both throws were fired long.
“Listen, don’t talk about that,” Broncos coach Sean Payton countered when I asked about Nix chucking when he should be tucking. “In other words, his eyes are within the progression.
“You don’t tell that player too much when it comes to something like that, you know what I mean? Like, ‘Do you inhale or exhale when you’re backswinging (in golf)?’ I don’t want anyone asking me that question, all right?
“But I think there are certainly designed runs you saw. Again, we gotta keep working with his clock, because it gets quick. There’s someone open, and there’s some throws he’s gonna want to correct. But that’s a good problem to have.”
Meanwhile, if you’re going to accuse the Broncos of head-hunting because of Payton’s history, put the tin foil hat away. Kris Abrams-Draine’s hit on Stroud was legal, if a tad late. Watch it again: The Broncos cornerback was making a point, at full speed, to strike well below Stroud’s head. The concussion was from the QB’s noggin hitting the turf on a late slide, not from Abrams-Draine attempting to decapitate the guy. Game of inches, kids. Game of inches.
“Winning’s fun,” Prentice said. “It’s contagious. When you want to keep doing it, it’s contagious. You just want to keep getting after it and keep getting those wins and stacking them. But yeah, it’s a lot of fun.”
Less fun: Payton’s run-pass balance. Or continual lack thereof. The Broncos rushed on three of their opening four plays. Payton handed off just four times over the next 24. J.K. Dobbins had 24 rushing yards on his initial four touches. He didn’t see the rock again until the first play of the second half — a 9-yard rush.
You tell us, Coach.
“Yeah, yeah, I get it,” Payton said. “I like to win.”
Like the man said: It’s contagious.
“No one wants to let anyone down,” Payton stressed. “That’s a good thing.”
The best thing, really.
“What’s our record?” Sunshine Sean asked the media rhetorically. “I lost track.”
“Seven and two,” the scribes said in unison, as if in a classroom.
“That’s right,” Payton said, back in teacher mode. “That’s how I see it. Pretty good.”
Sure is. Seven comebacks in a year-and-a-half? Nobody’s that lucky. When it comes to the Bo-ller Coaster, buckle up. Just don’t forget to enjoy the ride.
May the Fourth be with you
For the fourth time in the last five games, the Denver Broncos rallied to win a game they trailed entering the fourth quarter. One of the central reasons for that: Bo Nix’s ability to elevate his play with the game on the line in the final 15 minutes. Here is a look at the second-year Broncos quarterback’s production by quarter this season, with Sunday’s numbers against the Texans in parentheses:
| Completions | Attempts | Pass yards | TDs | INTs | Rating | Carries | Rush yards | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First quarter | 40 (0) | 69 (3) | 399 (0) | 3 (0) | 2 (0) | 76.9 (39.6) | 3 (0) | 20 (0) |
| Second quarter | 64 (6) | 106 (14) | 682 (76) | 7 (1) | 2 (1) | 93.4 (54.5) | 9 (0) | 29 (0) |
| Third quarter | 34 (3) | 55 (4) | 256 (21) | 0 (0) | 1 (0) | 65.4 (86.5) | 12 (0) | 60 (0) |
| Fourth quarter | 59 (9) | 92 (16) | 639 (76) | 7 (1) | 1 (0) | 105.3 (89.6) | 18 (3) | 98 (36) |
Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com.
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Sean Keeler
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