Bo Nix Admits the Harsh Truth About the Chargers

Regardless of what happens on Saturday, Bo Nix is eagerly anticipating his chance to rematch with the Los Angeles Chargers in the season finale.

Dec 25, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) gives an interview after the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The Denver Broncos took care of business against a depleted but highly motivated Kansas City Chiefs team on Christmas Night. That win could help deliver the AFC West crown to the Broncos, if the Los Angeles Chargers lose to the Houston Texans on Saturday.

Even if the Chargers lose, quarterback Bo Nix knows the Broncos will still have to prevail against them in the season finale, especially if they want to secure the No. 1 playoff seed in the AFC.

“At the end of the day, none of it really matters. We have to play the final game, and we have to take care of it," Nix said following the Chiefs win. "They [Charges] are going to be a good football team. Some other team could help us along the way, but at the end of the day, it is going to come down to us versus them."

The Harsh Truth

Since Nix arrived in Denver as the team's first-round pick in 2024, he has yet to vanquish the Chargers. Nix is 0-3 vs. the Chargers all-time, and that mark coincides with the arrival of Jim Harbaugh as their head coach.

Broncos head coach Sean Payton doesn't have a great history against Harbaugh-coached teams, but the challenge of getting the Chargers monkey of his back is a big motivating factor for Nix.

What better setting to break the ice vs. the Chargers than at home in front of the Mile High Faithful? The Broncos will get an extra three days to prepare for the Chargers, with that 20-13 win over the Chiefs coming on a Thursday night.

"We are excited to have them at home. It is going to be a really good environment and atmosphere. It is honestly playoff atmosphere," Nix said of the Chargers. "It is going to be tough. I have not beaten them, but it is going to be a good nine days of preparation. On the tenth day, it will be all you have got for four quarters or however long it takes."

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Battle-Tested

Sep 21, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) throws for a first down in the first half against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Nix didn't have a great game against the Chargers in Week 3's last-second loss. He only passed for 153 yards and a touchdown, though he didn't throw any interceptions.

However, the Broncos are a different team since Week 3. And Nix is a far more experienced and battle-tested quarterback.

Nix sounds like a young quarterback eager to prove himself against a familiar foe that has had his and the Broncos' number in their three meetings since 2024. Nix vs. Justin Herbert is shaping up to be a marquee matchup to punctuate the 2025 regular season, with a more-rested Broncos squad.

"It will be good to have rest," Nix said. "It will be a good long weekend for us.”

Nix's Historic Start

Herbert is famous for the hot start to his NFL career. But factoring in wins, no NFL quarterback has ever hit the ground running through Year 2 quite like Nix.

Nix is the only NFL quarterback to ever pass for 7,500-plus yards and 50-plus passing touchdowns while posting 20-plus wins through his first two seasons. A historic start, indeed.

Off to a historic start. 👏 pic.twitter.com/IdpVomvB2Z

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) December 27, 2025

Any of the Nix doubters who were vocal before and since the 2024 NFL draft have been contritely put in their place, even if some have yet to admit their error. Nix stepped into the starting job in Denver last year and promptly ended the Las Vegas Raiders' previous eight-game winning streak over the Broncos, and has gone 3-1 against the Chiefs.

That 0-3 record vs. the Chargers is one of the few unsatisfactory marks on Nix's impressive resume as the Broncos' quarterback. He'll get the chance to begin balancing those scales next week, regardless of how Saturday's Texans-Chargers game shakes out.