Broncos QB Bo Nix Disrespected by The 33rd Team on X, Fans Pounce

A perception exists within the Denver Broncos fanbase that the national media has a general disrespect for the franchise. It's hard not to fault Broncos fans for feeling that way when star quarterback Bo Nix, coming off a historic rookie season, was diminished and forgotten by a notable NFL publication like The 33rd Team this week.

Over the weekend, The 33rd Team posted a meme of Jayden Daniels on X (formerly Twitter) that made a false historical claim excluding Nix. The post stayed up for 10-plus hours. See the screenshot below.

“Every Rookie QB with 4,000 total yards, 30+ total touchdowns, and 10+ wins in NFL History: Jayden Daniels," the post read.

Broncos Country quickly took note of the post, and X's Community Notes promptly stepped in to include the historically accurate fact that Nix also achieved this rare feat alongside Daniels. That's rare for a football meme to be 'Community Noted.' X's Community Notes "aim to create a better informed world by empowering people on X to collaboratively add context to potentially misleading posts," and it's usually reserved for general news and political posts.

On the heels of his impressive rookie showing, it's one thing for an individual writer to place Nix low in their NFL quarterback rankings, as NFL.com's Nick Shook recently did, or question whether he can progress in Year 2 (ESPN ), but to completely forget his phenomenal accomplishments puts the disrespect on a whole new level.

Nix passed for 3,775 yards last season, with 430 rushing yards, putting him over the 4,000-yard milestone The 33rd Team highlighted. His 29 passing touchdowns, four rushing touchdowns, and a receiving score eclipsed the 30 total touchdown mark (34), and he led the Broncos to 10 wins. For what it's worth, no rookie quarterback had more passing touchdowns or total touchdowns in 2024 than Nix.

It wouldn’t have been difficult for The 33rd Team to add a correction to its X post to avoid the blowback. If the post was about vaulting Daniels, they could have updated the win threshold to 12-plus or have it include a playoff win. Instead, the post remained published for nearly a half-day, much to the ire of Broncos Country on X, though it was eventually deleted. 

To douse the flames of the PR backlash, The 33rd Team made a new "Bo Nix appreciation" post on Tuesday. Suffice it to say, it came as cold comfort to Broncos fans.

The post was a nice gesture, but The 33rd Team has a penchant for fading Nix. The accumulation of its general Nix negativity, dating back to before the 2024 NFL draft, culminated in his omission from a post celebrating a historical achievement shared by Daniels — the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year — and the subsequent backlash. 

Nix rewrote the franchise rookie record books and set numerous NFL marks, passing for the second-most touchdowns by a rookie in league history. But the key component was leading the Broncos back to the playoffs.

Even though Nix didn’t win in Buffalo, Broncos fans have been desperate for hope at quarterback and for a return to the playoffs for the first time since Super Bowl 50. Nix delivered just that with a great season, and yet, The 33rd Team essentially dismissed his accomplishments by omitting him from a big flex meme.

Even with a deleted post that was almost certainly an honest mistake, Broncos Country is unlikely to forget it. Many fans won't forgive either, as they've dealt with such shade from the national media for years. 

As for Nix, he's focused on getting better this offseason and progressing in 2025. But it would be a surprise if this botched meme finds its way to the Broncos' bulletin board in the locker room to be used for motivation.

Sean Payton knows how to leverage media predictions, criticism, and general disrespect to the benefit of his team. We saw that last year when the prognosticators predicted Denver's win total at 5.5 games.

Add this as fuel to the fire.