Bo Nix's Placement in NFL.com's QB Index Drips With Mockery

NFL.com's 'Tier 4' quarterback led the Denver Broncos to the best record in the league entering Week 12.

NFL, American Football Herren, USA 2025: Broncos Vs Texans NOV 02 November 2, 2025: Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) looks for a receiver during a game between the Denver Broncos and the Houston Texans in Houston, TX. | Trask Smith / Cal Media / IMAGO / Newscom World

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix ranks 11th in passing yards (2,421) and is tied for fourth in touchdowns (18). And yet, in NFL.com's Week 12 quarterback rankings, the quarterback of the 9-2 Broncos checks in as a 'Tier 4' guy.

"Bo Nix finally put together a nearly complete game! Denver won an AFC West struggle by complementing a stiff defense with an offense that wasn't afraid to air it out. Nix avoided significant mistakes, spread the ball around and made some key throws to push the Broncos to victory. We'll see if it's the start of something special," NFL.com's Nick Shook wrote.

Dripping with mockery and shades of irony, Shook couldn't bring himself to fully credit Nix for his stellar performance against the Kansas City Chiefs, which led to the Broncos' 22-19 upset. "A nearly complete game."

How Shook talks about Nix, especially in comparison to the other quarterbacks in 'Tier 4,' is conspicuous, perhaps inadvertently exposing the strange bias against the Broncos' signal-caller that still persists in the national media. Our Zack Kelberman illustrated the difference on X. Give him a follow.

LMAO look at how they talk about Bo Nix compared to these other QBs 😭 https://t.co/dyAELV6emb pic.twitter.com/1LOGF5R8sJ

— Zack Kelberman (@KelbermanNFL) November 22, 2025

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Let the Wins Do the Talking

Nov 16, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) carries an American flag prior to the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

We know that Nix isn't concerning himself with arbitrary quarterback rankings in the press. Nix deleted his social media some time ago. Broncos head coach Sean Payton might see them, but they only matter insofar as he sees an opportunity to use a take here or a ranking or grade there as an impetus for some bulletin board material in team meetings.

The bottom line is, Nix has quarterbacked the Broncos to their best start since 2015. The Broncos have won eight straight, and after vanquishing the Chiefs, they put a stranglehold on the AFC West.

Entering Week 12, the Broncos had the best record in the NFL and the No. 1 playoff seed in the AFC. The New England Patriots also entered this week at 9-2 with their own eight-game streak ongoing, but the Broncos own the tiebreaker.

As we learned from defensive coordinator Vance Joseph over the bye, Nix's teammates "love" him, saying "he can't do any wrong" in their eyes. Joseph's remarks were backed up by wide receiver Troy Franklin, who also complimented Nix for how he's handled the outside narratives this season.

Now, Nix hasn't played perfectly this season, but he's been very impressive at times. And he's orchestrated some legendary comebacks. As I highlighted at the top of this story, his statistics are not paltry or ranked low among NFL quarterbacks.

To NFL.com, though, he's a Tier 4 guy. Let it be, for now.

Nix has led the Broncos to wins over both of last season's Super Bowl teams. The Broncos were underdogs in both games. Nix also beat the No. 1 defense in the NFL, defeating a Houston Texans squad that beat and battered Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills this past Thursday.

At some point, the worm will turn as it applies to the Nix conversation nationally. But it won't happen until and unless the Broncos go on to win something noteworthy.

Until then, let them hate.