The Denver Broncos are coming off a 17-14 Thursday night overtime win over the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. A game where they were the underdogs, bringing them to 4-2 on the year. Despite this, fans and national media are mainly discussing Bo Nix’s poor performance in that game and this season, making him the NFL’s most confusing QB. Nix is one of the most polarizing players in the league. Even though he’s had immense success with the Broncos, he often leaves a lot to be desired on the field.
Bo Nix’s Success
Nix was drafted 12th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Broncos, a class that broke records for the number of QBs drafted in the first round (6). The first four selections have shown strong potential to become top QBs in the league, including Drake Maye and Caleb Williams. Nix has had the most team success, with the most wins of any QB drafted in the 2024 class. He also tied Russell Wilson for most wins by a QB in their first two years with 24. He has turned the Broncos franchise around, taking Denver to the playoffs for two straight years, including an AFC Championship appearance, after a 10-year playoff drought.
Although it can be argued he wins because he has a great team around him, Nix’s success in the 4th quarter and late in games has helped the Broncos come back from a number of deficits. He has established himself as one of the most clutch QBs in the league, with 13 game-winning drives and 11 4th-quarter comebacks in his career.
The first-round pick has orchestrated several heroic comebacks, including a 33-point fourth-quarter rally against the New York Giants and a stunning win over the then-defending champion Philadelphia Eagles after trailing 17–3 in the fourth. Nix has shown he knows how to win, but it doesn’t often look pretty.
Bo Nix’s Struggles
One of the main critiques of Nix and the Broncos is their slow starts to the season and games. Some of the reasons for the quarterback’s fourth-quarter comebacks are that he often struggles at the start of the game, putting them in a big deficit that he’s forced to come back from.
Since entering the league, Nix’s stats in the first half are worse than his in the second half. He has a 61.8% completion rate, 4,620 yards, 24 TDs, 16 INTs, and an 81.4 rating in the first half. Compared to a 65.1% completion rate, 4,135 yards, 36 TDs, 10 INTs, and a 94.8 rating in the second half.
Nix also has a tendency to leave clean pockets, speeding up the play and making things harder for himself. Despite these struggles, his threat as a runner is a big reason for the Broncos’ wins over the past two seasons. After breaking his ankle at the end of Denver’s divisional round win last year, however, Nix seems to have regressed significantly, losing his ability to run.
Comparing his rushing stats in the first six games of the 2026 season to the 2025 and 2024 seasons, Nix’s ankle injury has clearly affected him. He recorded 180 yards and 3 TDs on 37 carries in 2024, 124 yards and 1 TD on 33 carries in 2025, and 37 yards and 1 TD on 22 carries in 2026.
Not only has Nix regressed as a runner this year, but he has also regressed as a passer. He is averaging 4.9 air yards per attempt this season, and only 23.5% of his passes are 10+ yards past the line of scrimmage, which is the lowest rate in the NFL. His inability to stay in the pocket and look deep has caused him to miss open receivers downfield this year, most notably against the San Francisco 49ers.
This, paired with his hesitancy running the ball and getting hit, has puzzled fans and analysts, such as former QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, who called out the third-year quarterback following Denver’s win Thursday night. Fitzpatrick said Nix’s play has been “frustrating to watch” and it’s “disrespectful to the QB position”. Although the message may seem harsh, there’s some truth to what Fitzpatrick is saying, and it has been echoed by fans throughout the course of Nix’s career, even at times when it isn’t warranted.
Bo Nix Being A Confusing Quarterback
Nix has had the luxury of playing for one of the best offensive play-callers in NFL history, Sean Payton. He’s also played behind one of the best offensive lines in football. He’s assisted by a Broncos defense that ranks top three in scoring defense and has led the league in sacks the past two years. Denver also traded their first-round pick this offseason to add WR Jaylen Waddle, an explosive weapon to their offense. This, plus their deep playoff run last year, has made Nix’s slow start even more frustrating.
The former Oregon Duck’s inconsistency and struggles in his career have made it shocking how the Broncos continue winning games against great teams. Especially this season, in which Denver’s first six games are ranked as the hardest schedule in the NFL, with five of the teams being playoff teams last season. Outside of the Los Angeles Chargers, Denver’s opponents this year have a combined record of 18-7, and the Broncos’ two losses came against the undefeated 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs.
Nix has shown he can lead this team to a championship. He’s gone head-to-head with Josh Allen in the divisional round and outdueled him while also throwing for 300 yards and 4 TDs against the Green Bay Packers in a playoff-like game that decided seeding. Despite Nix’s inconsistency, the Broncos are now 4-2 as they look to face the easier part of their schedule. Whether Nix manages to turn his season around as he has in the past or continues his poor play, Denver will find a way to win, making him the most confusing QB in the NFL.
