Bo Nix Has Earned More Respect Than the National Media Is Giving Him

Despite leading the Denver Broncos to a 14-3 record and the AFC championship game as a second-year quarterback, Bo Nix still isn't getting the respect he deserves in the national perspective. That's especially true of Pro Football Focus, a site that has never been too complimentary of Nix's accomplishments.

It's that time of year, though. We're now in the middle of the NFL desert — that six-week summer leading up to training camp. Tis the season for rankings and lists around the league.

PFF's Dalton Wasserman and Max Chadwick dropped the analytics giant's top quarterbacks of 2026 rankings, and wouldn't you know it? Nix checked in at... (checks notes)... No. 19.

"It can be easy to forget about Bo Nix in the 2024 quarterback class, especially when Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye were all selected with the first three picks. But Nix has developed into a quality starting quarterback. He led the Broncos to the AFC championship game but missed it after suffering a fractured ankle the previous week," PFF wrote.

Dissed and Dismissed

That's quite a dismissive tone, PFF. I don't think anyone who's paid attention to the NFL over the past two years — let alone covered it or analyzed it professionally — could easily forget Nix. His on-field accomplishments have outpaced those of his brethren in the 2024 quarterback class.

Nix has the most passing yards, touchdowns, and career wins among the 2024 quarterbacks, and we're supposed to believe that somehow it's "easy to forget" him? Maybe for PFF. But if that's true, it's a sad reflection of the state of the publication.

Nix tied Russell Wilson for the most wins through a quarterback's first two seasons in NFL history. Beyond that, he's the only NFL quarterback ever to eclipse 7,500-plus passing yards, 50-plus touchdowns, and 20-plus wins through the first two years.

No Pro Bowls or All-Pro Nods

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the second half against the Kansas City Chiefs. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The only area that Nix comes up short in comparison to his 2024 quarterback brethren is in the accolades department, and after I listed just a few of his accomplishments above, don't you think that's a bit strange? Nix had more yards and touchdowns than Daniels did as rookies, but the voting for Offensive Rookie of the Year wasn't even close.

If the argument is that Nix's rookie campaign lacked some of the iconic moments that Daniels delivered, it's a fair assertion. Daniels also led his team deeper into the playoffs that year.

But whatever big moments Nix's rookie year may have lacked, the Broncos' quarterback more than made up for it in Year 2. He led the Broncos on an 11-game winning streak, which included several signature victories that required him to make some highlight-reel plays in the clutch.

Iconic Moments

Think back to Week 7, when Nix put 33 fourth-quarter points on the board to storm back and defeat the New York Giants. In that game, Nix became the only player in NFL history to rush for two touchdowns and pass for two scores in the same quarter.

BO NIX FOR THE LEAD

The Giants have given up a 30-point lead in the fourth quarter.pic.twitter.com/ZYPZqFgjLY
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) October 19, 2025

Before that game, even, Nix led an iconic comeback to upset the then-defending World Champion Philadelphia Eagles in their house. Later in the season, that Houston Texans defense that made hearts tremble across the fruited plain? Nix beat them in their house.

Think back to Week 15 when the Green Bay Packers rolled into Mile High as the favorites against a Broncos team, at home, that was riding a 10-game winning streak at the time. Nix demolished the Packers, and left the field with a parting message that will live forever in Broncos lore: "We're the overdogs!"

I could honestly go on. Nix out-dueled several top-level quarterbacks last season, punctuating his impressive second year with a quintessential performance against the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round of the playoffs. Nix outplayed Josh Allen, but paid the unfortunate price of fracturing his ankle on the third-to-last play of the game.

show me Justin Herbert throwing a super clutch TD to take the lead with under a minute to go in a playoff game pic.twitter.com/4svD91wcex
— T (@TimContic) June 29, 2026

But Nix punched his team's ticket to the AFC title game, even though he couldn't be there to lead them to the Super Bowl. What else does Nix have to do to get some shine on his name nationally?

Gobbledygook

"Nix’s 89.3 PFF passing grade from a clean pocket ranked seventh among qualifying quarterbacks last season, while his 77.6 career PFF passing grade ranks 14th among qualifiers. He also displayed a veteran-like ability to work through his progressions, ranking third in PFF passing grade on throws to his next read (78.1)," PFF wrote.

Sounds like he should have been ranked higher, no? Honestly, PFF's grades have become an arbitrary joke among people who cover the NFL. They rarely correlate with the eye test, and they sure as heck don't reflect the box score, nor the standings.

Could Nix be more efficient and consistent at times? Absolutely. But he's not a five or six-year vetearn; he's still growing as a quarterback, and yet, look at what he's accomplished and how he's turned the Broncos around.

The Takeaway

I take exception to a handful of quarterbacks PFF has ranked higher than Nix on this list, but the dagger is seeing C.J. Stroud at No. 17. Whatever, PFF.

Again, what more does Nix have to do to get some respect in the national press? This kid has earned way more respect than the national media gives him.

At least we know that his peers respect him. Last year, Nix cracked NFL Network's top 100 players of 2025, checking in at No. 64 overall. I suspect Nix's NFL peers will rank him even higher this year.

The players and coaches get it. Why so many pundits and national publications fail to grasp the Nix thing will always be beyond me.

Nix is 3-1 against the Kansas City Chiefs. His only loss to Kansas City came on a freaky blocked field-goal attempt as time expired from chip-shot range.

Within two short years, Nix wrested back the divison crown from the Chiefs, after nine long years of Kansas City as the AFC West champs.

Let 'em hate.

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