Whatever happens, the rest of this season, remember Sunday afternoon at 4:25 p.m. That was the moment that Bo Nix became the Broncos quarterback.
Until then, save for the first drive in Tampa Bay and two throws against the Jets, he held the job in title only. But with a memorable five-minute sideline interaction, Nix came of age.
He kicked off the training wheels and argued with coach Sean Payton.
Nix stood his ground, and it no longer feels like this franchise is sitting in quicksand.
“He turned and looked at me and said, ‘I love you,’” Nix joked, “and I said I love you back.”
This was the Hallmark Channel version of what played out in the Broncos’ convincing 34-18 victory over the Raiders, their first against their rival since 2019. The director’s cut featured more colorful language and involved rookie receiver Troy Franklin, Courtland Sutton, quarterback coach Davis Webb and Nix.
It stemmed from a third-quarter incompletion. Nix fired a deep ball to the end zone to a wide-open Franklin. He extended his body and dropped it. Payton did not want this play, admitting Nix flipped it. When Nix returned to the sideline, he flipped his lid. It led Payton to compare Nix to a famous 1986 movie character.
“There is still a little bit of Ferris Bueller in him we are trying to get rid of,” Payton said. “I love him to death. And sometimes (what you saw) is my love language.”
Bueller? Bueller? Bueller? Nix did not take the day off. He never does. He is prepared and diligent. That is why this dustup was so important, showing a quarterback cognizant of his role.
This is the real Nix. He runs hot. He did it at Auburn. He did it at Oregon. He did it when his father, Patrick, coached him in high school in Alabama.
In the film, Bueller skipped school to help his friend Cameron earn self-respect. Sunday, Nix earned his teammates’ respect.
“Yeah, I have watched the movie. Literally, I think it explains the situation,” said Nix, who finished 19 of 27 for 206 yards and two touchdowns. “We were out there with intensity and fire.”
The Full Nix Experience provides the path to a winning record, maybe even a playoff berth as mind-altering as that sounds. Bueller is a character who’s fun, loyal, sometimes reckless – like Nix on third down, apparently – and convicted.
Nix believed he was correct when switching the play to Franklin. And even though the Broncos did not score — Nix blamed himself for throwing it too far — it doesn’t mean he was wrong. When Payton began to spew lava, Mount BoNixuvius was prepared. This illuminated a player who believes in himself.
The discussion was intense, animated and about (bleeping) time.
Watching Nix defend his choice, it screamed that the C on his jersey was no longer decorative. This is exactly what the Broncos need. And precisely what his teammates crave.
“Those are two competitors right there. Coach Payton is the ultimate competitor. Same with Bo,” fullback Mike Burton said. “You want to see that kind of fire out of your quarterback, a guy ready to take command. I played with Sean and Drew Brees. They had these types of confrontations, and it was coming from a place that they both wanted what was best for the team.”
The juxtaposition between the Payton-Nix tiff and Payton-Russell Wilson meltdown remains striking. Payton went nuclear on Wilson on the sideline in Detroit after Wilson went off-script in the red zone on a pass to Sutton against the wrong coverage.
Payton is not a fan of streetball, seeing it as unsustainable. And he is really not a fan of calling plays the team has not practiced. Wilson stood there in shock as his coach unloaded on him, stunned by the outburst and perhaps knowing any response would lead to his benching. He started one more game, a loss to the Patriots, before that inevitable conclusion.
Sunday, Nix held firm. This demonstrates the respect that exists between the coach and quarterback which was not present at any time last season. Wilson never clicked with Payton, could not find a happy medium. There are possibilities with Nix that seem tantalizing and ambitious based on his response against the Raiders.
After the dust-up, Nix guided the offense to a pair of touchdowns. He eluded a sack and scrambled for 11 yards. He jumped over the pile for a 1-yard score. He found Josh Reynolds with a dime crossing the back of the end zone.
Nix, without saying another word, had arrived.
Playing quarterback for the Broncos in this city with this pressure is not for the meek or the polite. It requires an edge and ego to ride the seatbelt-required, emotional roller coaster.
All of the Broncos’ recent quarterbacks have been either ineffective, injured or one-dimensional. Nix is realizing that “life goes by fast” in the NFL. Given a chance to speak his mind, he didn’t miss it.
And that is why the Broncos’ season — at 3-2 with three straight wins — remains on target.
Get on the Ferris Wheel, Broncos Country. This is about to become one heck of a ride.
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