Bo Nix did everything he could to help the Denver Broncos upset the Kansas City Chiefs and end their undefeated season.
However, he might have needed to help block during the final field goal attempt, too.
Nix bounced back from a tough game against Baltimore by having a strong performance against one of the NFL’s top defenses. He completed 22 of 30 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions. He stayed calm under pressure and led the Broncos down the field for a potential game-winning field goal.
The only problem was that the Chiefs blocked the kick, leaving the Broncos with a 16-14 loss.
“It doesn’t hurt you if you don’t care,” Nix said. “It doesn’t hurt if it doesn’t mean anything to you. Everybody in that locker room is hurt because we do all the stuff. We put in the energy and the effort. Eventually it’s going to go in our favor.”
“The easy thing to do is stop,” Nix added, “but I feel our locker room is going to respond better.”
Nix’s main issues came when he was under pressure. On several occasions, he took sacks after backpedaling, which led to significant losses and forced the Broncos to punt. This has been a growing concern, as Nix was also sacked four times in the loss to the Ravens.
Despite the pressure, Nix made several great plays that gave the Broncos (5-5) hope that they finally have a quarterback capable of competing against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs (9-0) in the AFC West.
He threw a simple third-down pass to Devaughn Vele in the second quarter for a 7-0 lead, then later connected with Courtland Sutton on a tough 32-yard pass to extend the lead to 14-3 in the first half.
“I thought he played well,” said Broncos coach Sean Payton. “Gutsy.”
In the second half, things got tougher as the Chiefs adjusted to the Broncos’ offense. A holding penalty on Ben Powers stalled Denver’s first drive, and Nix took a 17-yard sack on the second. The third drive ended in a three-and-out after a false start penalty.
Still, Nix’s performance earned praise from Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton. “I think he did a good job of playing within the system,” Bolton said. “He made a couple of tough throws.”
With the Broncos leading 14-13, the defense had to hold off Mahomes and the Chiefs. Mahomes converted a third-and-13 with a 31-yard pass, and later, on a third-and-goal, missed Travis Kelce in the end zone, forcing Kansas City to settle for a field goal.
With just under six minutes left, Nix took the field knowing that a field goal would win the game. He connected with Marvin Mims and Sutton on third downs, then found Sutton again for 13 yards to set up a first down at the Chiefs’ 17-yard line.
The Broncos had a chance to run the clock down and win the game.
Everything seemed to go as planned, but the Chiefs blocked Wil Lutz’s field goal attempt, ending Denver’s hopes.
“I feel like every team practices their four-minute offense. I thought as far as that drive taking five or six minutes off the clock, that is what everybody wants to do,” Nix said. “They just made one extra play. When we thought it was in our hands, it wasn’t.”
