Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos moved to 2-2 with a 10-9 victory over the hosting New York Jets in Week 4.
But the rookie quarterback also made history for a dubious reason.
Nix completed 48% of his passes for 60 yards with 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions. He attempted 12 passes, giving him 2.4 yards per attempt. That is the lowest mark in a win by any QB with at least 25 attempts since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, per NFL researcher Dante Koplowitz-Fleming on September 29.
Poor weather conditions impacted the game early, and Nix finished the first half having gone 7-for-15 for a net loss of 7 yards. He improved in the second half, going 5-for-10 for 67 yards.
Nix also got the first passing touchdown of his career in the third quarter.
BO NIX FIRST CAREER PASS TD ALERT
“When it rains like that for that long period of time, it’s hard to kind I guess get new dry footballs out there. But that’s how it’s going to be. They were having to do the same thing. Usually these weather games, they turn into “run-the-football games.” And that’s what we did in the second half, so it worked in our favor,” Nix told reporters on September 29.
“We threw the ball when we had to, and we made some connections when we had to. And that was the difference in the game.”
Bo Nix Gets Honest About Confidence After Slow Start
GettyBo Nix #10 and Courtland Sutton #14 of the Denver Broncos.
Broncos head coach Sean Payton quickly shut down a question about Nix’s confidence after the Broncos’ 26-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3.
“The kid’s been confident. He’s been through Auburn, he’s transferred. He’s won, and won, and won, and won. And, honestly, I haven’t seen him flinch” Payton told reporters on September 22. “We all get a little bit more confident with the win. But I say that respectfully. He hadn’t flinched.”
Nix faced a similar question after beating the Jets, specifically about the slow start and weather.
Nix said it did not matter about the weather clearing up with the Broncos trailing the Jets 6-0 at halftime.
“I had to go out there and contribute and be efficient and find ways to get us in the end zone. Find ways to win the game at that point. We’re talking on the sidelines, it’s not going to be a picture-perfect game when the weather’s like that,” Nix said.
“They have a good defense. You’re going to go out there and it’s going to be a tough game. You’re going to have to have some grit and some discipline, some toughness there at the end to pull those out, and that’s what we did. But confidence was there. We just had to find a way to make it work. And sometimes you just got to do just that.”
Former Broncos QB Russell Wilson Could Remain Steelers’ QB2
GettyRussell Wilson #3 of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
While Nix is finding his way in the Broncos’ offense and the NFL in general, former franchise QB Russell Wilson has yet to find the field for his new team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. A calf injury has sidelined Wilson since the preseason.
That has allowed former Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields to assume control of the Steelers’ offense.
Fields’ performance could keep him in the position even with Wilson close to being cleared.
“Russell Wilson, of course, began training camp as the presumptive starter, he is once again inactive, actually, the third/emergency quarterback, the fourth straight week that has been his designation still trying to come back from that calf injury,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on “The Insiders” on September 29.
“That said likely after this week, [Steelers head coach] Mike Tomlin will get to a point where Russell Wilson will be healthy enough, have to name a starter. And that is expected, of course, to be Justin Fields.”
Fields and the Steelers fell to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 4, dropping a 27-24 affair on the road.
