DENVER (AP) — After a slow start, Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix is earning NFL honors and victories by the week.
Nix had his best game so far Sunday, setting season highs in completion rate (84.4 percent), yards passing (307) and touchdown throws (four) with an efficient 28-for-33 performance that stoked Denver's 38-6 rout of the Atlanta Falcons.
Throw in his 145.0 QB rating, and Nix joined Texans QB C.J. Stroud (2023) as the only rookies in NFL history to have at least 300 passing yards, four passing touchdowns and a passer rating of at least 140 in a game.
Nix was the NFL's Offense Rookie of the Month in October and last week he won the league's Offensive Rookie of the Week award coming off a loss at Arrowhead, where he outplayed star Patrick Mahomes in Week 10.
Now, there's chatter about him in the race for the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
Forget that, suggested cornerback Patrick Surtain II.
“I told him, ‘Man, you’re trying to win MVP,” Surtain said. “It's not even looking like Offensive Rookie of the Year, it's looking like MVP now.”
Overstatement or not, it sure looks as if the Broncos (6-5) finally have found their franchise quarterback, the likes of which they haven't had since Hall of Famer Peyton Manning's four brilliant seasons in Denver from 2012-15.
Since Manning's retirement after winning Super Bowl 50, the Broncos have churned through draft picks Trevor Siemian, Paxton Lynch and Drew Lock, free agents Case Keenum, Joe Flacco and trade acquisitions Teddy Bridgewater and Russell Wilson. Of that group, only Siemian had a winning record in a Broncos uniform.
With Sunday's win, Nix's six victories are a franchise rookie record, besting the five Hall of Famer John Elway had in 1983 and Lock matched in 2019.
What’s working
The offense. It's found a nice rhythm with Nix throwing precision passes and coach Sean Payton calling a creative game. On Sunday, the Broncos put up points on six of nine drives.
What needs help
It's hard to nitpick a team that dominated all three phases. On offense, nine players caught at least one pass, six players carried the ball for a total of 105 yards and a 4-yard average per carry. On defense, the Broncos held Atlanta out of the end zone, had four sacks and an interception and held the Falcons to just 4 of 13 on third down. Alex Forsyth and Matt Peart switched spots on the left side of the kick protection unit after their debacle in K.C. and Wil Lutz was good on a 45-yard field goal and five extra points.
Stock up
OLB Nik Bonitto. He had two more sacks, giving him nine, one shy of becoming the first Broncos defender since Von Miller in 2018 to have a double-digit sack total.
Stock down
Those who were critical of the Broncos for selecting the sixth QB off the board with the 12th overall selection in the draft last April.
Injuries
The Broncos deactivated S Brandon Jones (abdomen) on Sunday. They sustained no significant injuries in the game.
Key number
9-0 — Broncos record a week after playing the Chiefs since 2019, excluding the 2021 season finale against Kansas City.
Next steps
The Broncos visit the Las Vegas Raiders (2-8), who have lost six in a row, on Sunday.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Arnie Stapleton, The Associated Press
