The Broncos won Thursday night by beating the defending Super Bowl champions in overtime. But victory comes with a major asterisk; Denver’s offense still isn’t good enough.
As Prime Video’s Ryan Fitzpatrick said after the game, quarterback Bo Nix isn’t good enough.
“Bo Nix doesn’t play competitively,” Fitzpatrick said, growing more animated as it went on. “It’s almost disrespectful to the quarterback position the way he’s playing quarterback right now. . . . He has no confidence from his coach, he calls a screen play on third-and-8. . . Now they’re in the locker room right now, they’re excited. They won. He’s not playing competitive football right now. . . . I can only imagine how Sean Payton feels. I want say, Sean Payton, (offensive coordinator) Davis Webb, everyone blocking for him He’s not competing right now and that’s something he’s been hanging on for the last couple of years I don’t know if he’s still injured, I don’t know what’s going on.
Later in the postgame show, Fitzpatrick had another chance to expand on his criticism of Nix.
“Well, there’s no fire and there’s no passion,” Fitzpatrick said. “And that doesn’t mean you have to yell at the guys on the sidelines or inspire in the huddle. You can do that with your play as well. And I just don’t see it. And I just think he needs to sit down and they need to tell him that being a quarterback in the NFL is a very special thing. And right now, he’s taking it for granted. He is. And there are a lot of guys who played in that game and are watching this game and thinking, ‘It’s just This is trash. This effort is trash. This is not a quarterback in the NFL.
For the game, Nix completed 17 of 27 passes for 107 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. His passer rating was 71.1. Denver’s offense gained just 168 yards. Seattle has won 353.
It remains to be seen whether Payton will have anything to say publicly about Nix’s piece. Payton may have specific things to say in private – and if the problems continue, who knows what will happen?
Because Nix is in its third season, what happens next will be critical. Nix will be eligible for a second contract after the season.
And the Broncos’ eventual options could be to either pay him market value or move on. Bot, every team wants to kick or pay a mid-level contract to a guy who lands in the “mid” category. To win consistently and chase championships, it’s essential to have a guy who plays like a franchise quarterback.
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