It took three games, but Bo Nix guided the Denver Broncos to their first victory of the 2024 season.
Nix had struggled through the first two outings but was in command against a typically stout Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense in Week 4, notching a 26-7 victory. He completed 69.4% of his passes for 216 yards.
He did not throw any touchdowns. But he also did not throw any interceptions either.
Nix, who also avoided taking any sacks and rushed for 47 yards and 1 touchdown on nine carries, was asked about savoring the victory postgame.
“Well, I got to. You only get this moment one time, and it’s not easy winning games in this league. But our guys deserve this. Our guys have earned this. We have a great team that really battle in there. We were one possession away in both the first two games, and so just to do what we were able to do today against a really good football team, it gives us a little bit of confidence moving forward,” Nix told reporters on September 22.
“It’s still a long season. But you got to enjoy these wins when they’re here, and it’s a great first win.”
“We played physical. We wanted this one today.” 😤
@sarahkustok is with Bo Nix after his first career win with the @Broncos
Nix has now completed 62.8% of his passes for 600 yards on the season. He has yet to throw for a touchdown but has rushed for 2 scores this season. He credited Broncos head coach Sean Payton for setting the tempo early with his play calls.
Payton said he was trying to “send a message” early on in the contest.
Bo Nix, Courtland Sutton React to Broncos’ Opening Sequence
The Broncos went pass-heavy early and the effects could linger for the offense. Nix and wide receiver Courtland Sutton spoke about the confidence they got from their opening sequence of the game, which went 70 yards in six plays.
“He wanted to be aggressive. I think he made that decision just off of making a fast start,” Nix said. “I wasn’t necessarily shocked by it. But whatever he wanted to do, that’s what we were doing. And we came out and did exactly what we wanted. We went down and got a touchdown and that I think that set the tempo, set the tone for the game.”
Payton shut down questions about Nix potentially losing confidence amid his earlier struggles.
His play calls backed up his confidence in the rookie and an offense that had struggled to get going.
“Usually he [Payton] defers, and I guess he had whispered … that he wanted to receive the ball, so it kind of caught me off – I’m out there. But it still kind of caught me off-guard. But I was excited because I knew what the first play was,” Sutton told reporters after the game. “We go over the openers the night before the game, and so I knew what the first play was going to be. And when he decided to take the ball I was like, ‘Oh, yeah. He trying to set the tempo,’” Sutton told reporters postgame.
“It was very encouraging. As soon as I saw we won the toss and I saw that we went to receive the ball, my mindset clicked. And I was just like, ‘Yeah, man. It’s our turn to go put something together.”
Sutton finished with seven receptions for 68 yards
He and Nix will look for their first touchdown through the air when the Broncos visit the New York Jets in Week 4.
Sean Payton: Wanted to ‘Send a Message’ With Broncos’ Opening Drive
The Broncos not only elected to receive the ball first after winning the coin toss, Payton dialed up a deep shot from Nix to Sutton that went 22 yards. Nix passed or ran on all six of the Broncos’ plays on their initial scoring drive.
The goal was to loosen up the Bucs’ defense
“Look, I typically like most coaches will defer. And then every once in a while, you want to – you send a little message,” Payton told reporters on September 22. “We had a good set of openers.
“This is a team that, historically, is hard to run the ball against. And we’ve played here a number of times, and coached in a number of games against [Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles]. He does a great job. They provide some challenging pressure looks. There’s a safety or blitz every other play. And so if you’re not careful, we’ll end up with some minus runs. So I felt like we wanted to be aggressive early and then run it later in the game. All of those things happened.”
Tyler Badie led the Broncos backfield with nine carries for 70 yards. He had one tote for 4 yards in the first half, helping the Broncos salt away their victory with eight runs for 66 yards after the break.
