As the Denver Broncos reflect on the 2024 season, they have already drawn at least one key conclusion: They have found their quarterback for both the present and the future in Bo Nix.
The Broncos broke an eight-year playoff drought, finishing with a 10-7 record. However, their season ended in a 31-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills in an AFC wild-card game, showing how much more work is still needed. Despite this, those involved are confident that selecting Nix with the 12th pick in the 2024 draft and starting him from day one was the right decision.
“I know this, he’s very conscientious. … I think it’s all in front of him,” said Broncos coach Sean Payton on Wednesday. “I’ve said this before, I think we’ve found that player that can lead us and be what we need relative to having the success that we’re used to having. I think we found him.”
Nix faced the typical struggles of a rookie quarterback, but his performance was impressive. He threw 29 touchdown passes, ranking second in rookie history for touchdowns, just behind Justin Herbert’s 31 in 2020. Nix was also one of five rookies in NFL history to throw for at least 3,500 yards and 25 touchdowns in their first season.
The 24-year-old has already shown leadership in the few days following the team’s playoff loss.
“I had a good visit with him [Tuesday],” Payton said. “There are things he’s going to look at and grow from and build on, whether it’s third-down snaps or pressure snaps, but I’m real encouraged; I’m glad that he’s with us and it worked out the way it did. I know he’s going to be here quite a bit.”
“He never flinched; we’d be behind in games, we always came back, we didn’t always win them, but you’re always looking for that ‘it’ factor,” said Broncos general manager George Paton. “He’s been here, you’re like ‘Bo, you’ve got to take a break,’ [but] he’s here today, he was here yesterday.”
The Broncos’ top decision-makers, including owner/CEO Greg Penner, are aware that the AFC playoff race will be heavily influenced by the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs, who have been the AFC’s top seed and won the AFC West title for the last nine years, along with their star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, will be a major factor in how the Broncos approach the offseason.
When Penner was asked whether the Broncos’ goal to be more competitive in the AFC postseason starts with improving in their division, which is dominated by Mahomes and the Chiefs, he responded, “Absolutely.”
“Yeah, we could have very easily been 2-0 against the Chiefs this year, and our absolute goal next year is to win our division,” Penner added.
The Broncos played and lost to three of the remaining four AFC teams, including a 41-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, a 16-14 loss to the Chiefs, and the loss to the Bills in the wild-card round. Payton was asked whether there is still a gap between the Broncos and those teams.
“I’m telling you what, I didn’t see a gap last weekend until the second half [the Broncos trailed the Bills 13-7 late in the third quarter], and then you see a gap because you’re losing,” Payton said. “But I felt real confident we could go in there and win. Obviously, we didn’t play well enough, but those lines are much finer than we think.”
“It’s a player, it’s two players, it’s line of scrimmage,” Payton added. “And it starts with the division. There’s a lot of confidence in this team if we could get past [Buffalo in the wild card], the next one we had to play [in Kansas City] we felt really good about.
Obviously, we’re still not there yet, but we’re a lot closer than we were at this time a year ago – that was misery, sorrow, drudgery – gimme some other adjectives – that was brutal, let’s say that.”
