The Denver Broncos didn't just lose to the Seattle Seahawks in the regular-season opener, they lost ugly. One of the most disheartening aspects of the Broncos' 26-20 loss was rookie quarterback Bo Nix's relatively lackluster day at the office.
It was Nix's NFL debut, and he was going against a Mike Macdonald defense that played inspired football, smothering every Broncos receiver as soon as they secured a catch. Adding insult to injury, the Broncos couldn't get their ground game going, and starting left tackle Garett Bolles exited the action with a purported ankle injury.
For a traumatized fan base that has suffered a tumultuous, unprecedented eight-year run of incompetence, it's all too easy for Broncos Country to go running for the panic button. But while some fans are expressing anxiety, others are lashing out, especially at Nix, and Pro Bowl cornerback Patrick Surtain II isn't having it.
Surtain took to X (formerly Twitter) to respond to one attack on Nix following Sunday's defeat.
"Honestly this is what I expected not going to lie. So fickle, this is part of the game stuff happens he played great! So quick to hate on someone and go on social media to talk about it. This is part of the process man it’s pathetic," Surtain posted on X.
Many fans will justifiably argue Surtain's assertion that Nix "played great," but his overarching point about the fickle nature of many fans is particularly apt. But, again, after what Broncos Country has suffered over the past eight years, that vitriol is understandable.
It doesn't help that Nix's meteoric rise to the starting job was accompanied by multiple historical distinctions, becoming the Broncos' first rookie to start a season-opener since John Elway in 1983, and the first rookie to be named a team captain since Floyd Little in 1967. Both Elway and Little are enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, so cut Broncos Country some slack for feeling over-enthusiastic about its new rookie quarterback.
At the end of the day, Nix is learning on the job. Those 61 collegiate starts might be an NCAA record, but they can only avail him so far in the NFL. Most of his training and learning can only come on the job, which means that there will be some growing pains.
The only way for Broncos head coach to microwave Nix's trial-and-error learning curve is to find a way to get the rushing attack going. The 3.2 yards per carry Denver's running backs averaged in Seattle won't be enough to achieve that microwaving effect and hasten Nix's education in the NFL School of Hard Knocks.
Nix had the kitchen sink and dishwasher thrown at him by the Seahawks defense in his first career start. Time will how well Payton and the Broncos coaching staff will be able to help Nix learn from his rough-and-tumble NFL debut, but there won't be much time to dwell on it.
A home tilt vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers awaits. As for Surtain, his 2024 debut was solid, if unspectacular. He finished with six tackles (four solo) and a couple of passes defensed in a tough matchup vs. Seattle's WR1 DK Metcalf.
