Stunning New Bo Nix Record Should Be a Wake-Up Call for Sean Payton

Bo Nix laid the blueprint for how the Denver Broncos' offense should be attacking opponents. Will Sean Payton take heed?

Oct 19, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) runs for a touchdown as offensive tackle Garett Bolles (72) defends against New York Giants cornerback Deonte Banks (2) in the fourth quarter at Empower Field at Mile High. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Bo Nix dug deep on Sunday, willing the Denver Broncos back from the brink of possibly being shut out by the New York Giants at home. Nix completed 16-of-25 passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, while also rushing for 46 yards and two more scores.

It resulted in 33 fourth-quarter points, and a mindblowing victory. Much about the Broncos' win was historic, and how fitting it was that it happened on the day that Demaryius Thomas was inducted into the Ring of Fame and the Super Bowl 50 team was celebrated at halftime.

Nix stunk it up for three quarters, but he deserves a lot of credit for the 33 points the Broncos scored in the fourth quarter. Among the offensive output, let's not forget, was also a got-to-have-it two-point conversion on a Nix pass to Courtland Sutton.

Nix became the first player in NFL history to pass for two touchdowns and rush for two touchdowns in one quarter.

🔥 History made in Denver 🔥
Bo Nix just became the first player in NFL history with 2 passing touchdowns and 2 rushing touchdowns, in the fourth quarter. pic.twitter.com/Zb629qOHDx

— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) October 20, 2025

Nix would finish the day 27-of-50 for 279 yards and the aforementioned pair of touchdowns, with 48 total rushing yards and the two scores on the ground. Nix's two rushing touchdowns gave him seven for his career, tying Jake Plummer for the third-most in Broncos history behind only John Elway (33) and Tim Tebow (12).

Concerning Offensive Pattern

In a Monday morning conference call, Broncos head coach Sean Payton acknowledged the growing levels of concern surrounding the offense's inefficiencies over the past few games. Payton did not exempt Nix from the list of players who need to improve in the "earlier quarters," but the veteran coach also praised his quarterback for creating and harnessing a sense of urgency when the chips have been down.

“There’s a sense of urgency certainly. I would say the one thing more concerning is us playing better in the earlier quarters, including him [Nix]. So I think that’s the key," Payton said. "It’s been encouraging that we’ve been able to finish some games, and yet I said this to you guys yesterday, we’re going to play in bigger games, and we’re going to have to be a lot more efficient in the first half of games.”

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Message Sent to the Players

Oct 19, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton looks to down judge Sarah Thomas (53) in the fourth quarter against the New York Giants at Empower Field at Mile High. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Payton also made it clear on Monday that he will be evaluating the personnel usage in his quest to improve the Broncos' offense. That might mean some players' role will increase, or, to quote Payton, some might "diminish."

Obviously, in this instance, Nix is exempted from the possible list of those players whose role could be diminished. But if we're looking at increases, it would be great for Payton to call a few more designed quarterback runs for Nix.

Payton's Wake-Up Call

The Broncos want Nix to be a drop-back quarterback, and in the NFL, signal-callers have to be able to win from the pocket. Nix has proven to be capable of that, though he's been very inconsistent as a pocket passer this season.

The truth is, Nix is still young, and he has time to grow into that more. He's also much more athletic and physical than he was billed coming out of the NFL draft.

Nix did suffer fractured bones in his back last year, so there's a reason why Payton is reticent to overly put him into harm's way, but that comeback vs. the Giants absolutely screamed that designed quarterback runs need to feature more into the Broncos' game-planning and Payton's play-calling.

TAKE IT IN YOURSELF, 🔟

📺: @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/TGzql4iKwU

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) October 19, 2025

There's also the issue of tempo, where Nix thrives. At the podium post-game, Payton said he didn't want to hear about tempo, but if it's so obvious to the entire world that Nix and the Broncos' offense operates and executes at a much more efficient level when they're not huddling up, why doesn't Payton want to recognize it and begin implementing it more into the game plan in a balanced way?

The Broncos don't need to start by trying to recapitulate the Peyton Manning no-huddle offense, but sprinkling it in more often throughout a game seems like it'd be a great way to get Nix into a rhythm earlier, and, thus, make Payton's more traditional huddle-up offense more effective. Nix's supporting cast also is able to get into a rhythm at tempo, and that could work as a means to not only keep opponents on their heels, but also get everyone on offense involved and in the zone.

Substitutions, the Rub

One of the hallmarks of the Payton offense is the incessant substitutions and that's much harder to do at tempo. If you ask me, that's the real reason why Payton isn't leaning into running more tempo. For whatever reason, he prioritizes the value of the constant personnel substitutions more than that of the tempo offense.

With how leaky the Broncos' defense was against a rookie quarterback on Sunday, Payton would be remiss to go into Week 8's home tilt vs. the Dallas Cowboys expecting to full rely on Vance Joseph's unit to shut out one of the NFL's hottest offenses. The Broncos are going to have to score some points to beat the Cowboys, so Payton, Nix, and the offense will need to have a mighty change of heart on the fly to get into ship shape.

The good news is, the Cowboys may have a very good offense, but also one of the NFL's worst defenses. Week 8 is a great opportunity for the Broncos' offense to capitalize on all this fourth-quarter momentum and confidence, and translate it into attacking the Cowboys.