Bo Nix’s midseason surge continues.
The Broncos quarterback was named the NFL rookie of the week Thursday after his standout performance Sunday at Kansas City.
Nix completed 22 of 30 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns and played to a 115.3 passer rating against the Chiefs’ renowned defense. His first-half touchdown passes went to rookie Devaughn Vele and veteran Courtland Sutton.
Then Nix helped convert a trio of third downs on a critical fourth-quarter drive that set Denver up to upset Kansas City. That didn’t happen, of course, because of a blocked field goal with no time remaining in the game.
Nix has improved consistently over the course of the season but has really taken off over the past six weeks. Since Week 5, his quarterback rating is 98.1, good for No. 12 in the NFL. He was previously named the NFL’s rookie of the month for October.
“I’ve got a couple sons that are learning how to drive a car, right? And it seems like it takes them 10 minutes to adjust their mirrors,” offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said Thursday. “Stuff that, when you gain experience, you don’t even think about. So as you’re watching them, man, there are so many variables in driving that, as you gain experience, you don’t have to think about any more.
“When you enter a new offense or a new league — he’s transitioning as a rookie — there’s a lot of stuff on Day 1 that we take for granted, maybe, but for a brand new quarterback it takes him a while to adjust the mirrors. The more experience you get, just like driving a car, those little details aren’t taxing your attention anymore. I just think he’ll get better and better.”
On the season, Nix is completing 63.6% of his passes and has thrown for 1,968 yards and 10 touchdowns against six interceptions. He’s also rushed for 290 yards (4.7 per carry) and four touchdowns.
“There will be some more adversity, but there is a poise with him,” head coach Sean Payton said Wednesday. “I think his teammates in the huddle talk about it. … We continue to look at the things that he does well and try to feature those things as he progresses into some of the things that he’s going to need to do.
“We’re really encouraged.”
Nix is the first Broncos rookie to be named the league’s rookie of the week since cornerback Pat Surtain II had two interceptions against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 12 of 2021.
