Mile High Huddle

Film Illustrates Why Broncos Country Should Still 'Bo-Lieve' in Bo Nix

Fans have been a bit worried about Bo Nix amid his slump of the past two games, but his film this season offers countless examples of why the Denver Broncos can turn the ship around.
Erick Trickel|
Oct 19, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) runs the ball during the first half against the New York Giants at Empower Field at Mile High.
Oct 19, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) runs the ball during the first half against the New York Giants at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

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Denver Broncos

There is no way around it: Bo Nix played terribly against the Las Vegas Raiders, even though the Denver Broncos pulled out the win. In fact, for most of the season, excluding the Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys games plus two fourth quarters, Nix’s play has been rough.

However, there have been plenty of flashes from Nix that should have Broncos fans, coaches, and his teammates still believing in him. When you go back and watch him, it's apparent that he has put a lot of pressure on himself to be great and to be the franchise quarterback.

When it gets late in the game, that pressure eases, especially when Denver is down, and Nix plays free like there is nothing to lose. It isn’t just a coincidence that those scenarios are when Denver has gotten the best out of him, and even last year. 

Nix and the Broncos have to find a way to get him to play free of pressure throughout each game. To play without fear of creating mistakes, because even during his slump, with all the pressure on him, he is still making them.

Nix will never be mistake-free; no player in the NFL is, or ever will be. You can’t be an NFL quarterback and play a fearful game. 

So, after going over the worst of the worst film from Nix’s game against the Raiders, let’s get into the positives of the 2025 season. Let’s break down some plays to show why fans should have faith in Nix — or, as many in Broncos Country say, why it's still good to "Bo-lieve." 

Play 1 | Week 2 vs. Indianapolis Colts

On this first play, in the Broncos' Week 2 loss to the Colts, it's clear that Nix is playing with a clean mind. Everything here is excellent, and it leads to a touchdown. And when you go back to the Raiders game, while the play-call is different, what Nix did was the polar opposite. 

Denver lines up 2x2 with two receivers to the left, and a tight end and receiver to the right, with a running back in the backfield. The pre-snap read is clear: it's cover-3, with the lone deep safety shading to the offensive right, which is a sign you’re getting one-on-ones with the receivers on the left of the formation. 

Off the snap, that deep safety goes right, and this read cuts the field in half for Nix. The tight end and Courtland Sutton off the right are taken out of the play, and Sutton is even less of an option with Adam Trautman, the tight end, staying in to block. 

A second into the snap, and there is now a single option for Nix to make the throw as he is still in his drop. A cornerback takes Sutton with the deep safety rotating his way, Trautman stays into block, and the target in the slot is running an in route, with a safety on him and the linebackers dropping into their zone underneath. 

Nix has a one-on-one with Marvin Mims Jr. running a go-route with plenty of space to drop the ball in the bucket. By the time Nix hits the top of his drop, he sees it, and it's all near perfect from here. 

There is no second-guessing himself. There is no double-clutching the ball. There are no kick steps or panicked feet. Nix hits the top of his drop, has made the right read with Mims, and drives off that last step in his drop and fires the ball. 

It's a perfectly-placed pass, where the defender on Mims can’t make a play on the ball, and it's a touchdown for Denver. This is Nix playing free of pressure, trusting himself, and playing good football. This is what Denver needs from Nix to be more consistent throughout games. 

Play 2: Week 3 vs. Los Angeles Chargers

The Broncos are running a smash concept on the right, with Sutton on a deep in and tight end Nate Adkins running a hook underneath. Off the left, you have a post-wheel, with receivers Trent Sherfield running the post and Pat Bryant on the wheel. 

Adkins motions right to left, signaling that zone coverage is coming. The good news is that, when executed, the smash concept is a zone killer. The post-wheel on the right gives you man-beater concepts on the play, with the smash for the zone beater. 

At the drop, the Chargers drop into a match zone that was read pre-snap off the motion. Nix looks to the right with Sherfield being the first read in his progressions. That's a fair first read post-snap with the look the defense was giving up, but Nix is quick to look off it with how the coverage drops are going. 

Nix’s eyes are quick to his third progression, skipping the second, to get to Sutton. The Chargers' linebacker is pulled to Adkins, the corner on Sutton is dropping into a deeper zone, and the safety dropped too far back. When Sutton cuts it inside, he is wide open. Nix only has to hit him. 

This can be a tough throw, as you have to layer it into the receiver over the linebacker, but not enough to where it sails to the safety. Nix lands it nearly perfectly, with Sutton able to make the catch. The only complaint here was that the throw didn’t lead Sutton to where he had a chance to add yards after the catch. 

Nix was great with the mechanics and how quickly he went through his progressions, even skipping his second read because the coverage in their rotation dictated that. There is no second-guessing, as Nix sees the throw and makes the throw for a significant gain. 

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Play 3: Week 7 vs. New York Giants

Here we skip ahead to the fourth quarter against the Giants, when Nix was playing with a clear mind and without all the pressure. Even if you watch this game, you can see a clear change in Nix from the first three quarters to the final quarter, which led to the historic comeback win. 

There are many similarities between this play and the first play we looked at against the Colts, but the differences are part of why this is another great play for Nix that Denver needs more often. It's a deep shot to Mims that was slightly underthrown, which is actually a good thing — and we will get to that — but the focal point here is Nix pre- and post-snap. 

Denver is in a 3x1 formation, with receiver Troy Franklin motioning from the boundary to the middle receiver off the right. With how the Giants rotate, they’re showing man coverage pre-snap with the safety shading left, leaving your trips side on a trio of one-on-one matchups, with Sutton and the running back looking at doubles. 

Off the snap, the pre-snap read is confirmed, and Nix sees it, quickly locking in on the trip side. By the time he hits the top of the drop, he has Mims with space for a deep shot, or Bryant underneath, as the other two defenders drop back to play the sticks on 3rd-&-11. 

The Giants want to force Bryant to be the target and come downhill to make the stop. This is still a viable option, as Bryant does have an opening for a first or makes it a 4th-&-short, in what would likely have been a go-for-it situation. 

That is all moot, as Nix makes the read of Mims, which is the right call. Mims stacks the defender on his hip and still has a ton of space to make a play on the ball. This comes as Nix hits the top of his drop, with the quick reads and without the second-guessing. 

In plays throughout the first three quarters of this game, and many other times over the past few weeks, Nix has double-clutched the ball and come off the read instead of firing it in here. So, when it comes to him not second-guessing himself and playing free, this is a prime example. 

As for the throw, it was well placed. Mims stacks the defender, who is playing over the top. He is waiting for Mims to make a play to break up the pass. With the ball being underthrown, Mims times his adjustment perfectly, and by the time the ball is there, the momentum of the defender carries him downfield to give Mims a clean catch point. 

Sometimes, underthrows are the right throws given the receiver's coverage and positioning. If this was intentional, it makes it even better for Nix. 

Play 4: Week 9 vs. Houston Texans

Denver was facing a tough Texans defense, and on this play, Nix is challenging one of the best corners in the NFL, Derek Stingley Jr., by targeting Sutton. It works and results in a touchdown, and this was the best throw and decision from Nix in this game. 

Part of what made this play great was that Nix couldn’t complete his full follow-through after making the throw because a defender grabbed his shoulder. He was also quick with his reads, and likely identified this matchup pre-snap as where he was going with the ball. Sutton was one-on-one with Stingley, and Nix loves to take those throws. 

Another element to this is that when Nix gets those one-on-one matchups he loves, he has a bad habit of telegraphing them. He doesn’t here. Nix is able to hold the safety over the top long enough to leave the window open for Sutton before he is quick to flip his eyes and body to sling it to Sutton. 

The mechanics from Nix are good, the progressions and reads are great, and he puts a lot of trust in his receiver to make a play. When Nix has double-clutched a lot of passes over recent weeks, there is a lack of confidence in himself to make the throw, or in his weapon to make the play. 

There isn’t a need to break down the defense's formation here, because this highlights Nix's mentality. Whatever has caused him to lose confidence in himself or his weapons needs to be corrected.

When Nix plays with confidence in both, the plays are there and being made. He is quick and decisive, and things work out for the Broncos more often than not. 

Play 5: Week 10 vs. Las Vegas Raiders

As much bad as there was against the Raiders, there were some positives, and this one highlights traits with Nix that Denver can build on. The pocket gets muddy, and Nix is quick to get out of there, but he didn't bail too early as he did often in this game.

Nix finds the avenue of escape, which is an area he needs to be more consistent with, and keeps his eyes downfield. As he was getting out of the pocket, there were likely a lot of fans screaming for him to run the ball, but it was a good thing he didn’t. 

When Nix gets out of the pocket, the corner that was on Bryant bails in coverage and comes downhill to meet Nix. Denver needed 18 yards for the first on this second-down play, and if Nix takes off running, he might get it to a 3rd-&-8. Instead, keeping his eyes downfield leads to the 43-yard gain. 

With the defender pulling off Nix, he fires the throw on the move to Bryant, and this was an exceptional throw. The mechanics with Nix when throwing on the run have always been clean and consistent, and there are no issues with placement — even though it is ‘behind’ Bryant. That was a good thing. 

When throwing on the run, it can be hard to lead receivers without putting it too far out of their reach. It's better to throw to where they’re at and not where they will be, and Bryant makes a significant adjustment. Plus, with all the space Bryant had, there was still an opening for a big pickup after the catch. 

The Takeaway

Even though there is cause to raise the alarms about Nix, especially after his game against the Raiders, there is still time for the Broncos' coaches to work with him, and there's plenty of evidence on what and where things need to improve. As these clips highlight, the first step is getting him out of his own head. 

When Nix plays freely and clean, things work out. For whatever reason, he's under too much pressure, which is leading to second-guessing himself and his teammates.

The evidence is there. Sean Payton and quarterbacks coach Davis Webb have to figure out how to calm Nix down to go out there and execute, as he has proven he can do when he isn’t feeling the pressure. 

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Erick Trickel
ERICK TRICKEL

Erick Trickel is the Senior Draft Analyst for Mile High Huddle, has covered the Denver Broncos, NFL, and NFL Draft for the site since 2014. 

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