Is Bo Nix the Broncos’ Mr. Right after years of looking for love in all the wrong places?

DENVER — Bo Nix walked into a stadium that was ready to fall madly in love.

Most in the throng of 63,888 entered Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday wanting nothing more than sunshine, rainbows, seashells and balloons.

They got sunshine — if they came early enough or looked far enough off in the distance. They got rainbows, because the clouds built, some light rain fell — and what should emerge within sight of the stadium but a rainbow.

They even got a balloon, when a single orange balloon drifted near the Broncos and Packers as they prepared for a snap near the south stands. Referee Clay Martin brusquely shooed it away, and eventually it landed in the grasp of Courtland Sutton on the Broncos sideline. He held it aloft, triumphant, to a round of cheers.

The seashells? Well, finding those perfect unchipped, unweathered, unscarred pieces of the sea can be a challenge. Much like finding a quarterback for the Broncos in the post-Peyton Manning era.

Broncos Country is itself something of a battered seashell after seven years of looking for love in all the wrong places. Or, maybe it’s more accurate to say it wanted to find love, but the suitors brought forth in several years of playing QB Mystery Date were lacking.

A lot of duds.

And then, finally, here comes Bo Nix.

As we all know, the Broncos tried almost everything to replace Manning. The late-round flier. The Day 2 prospect who fell out of Day 1 because of doubts about his fundamentals. The mid-level free agent who caught fire for two months at his previous stop. The discarded starter available for a cheap trade price — which the Broncos did twice!

And then, finally, selling the farm for a perennial Pro Bowler. Who suddenly wasn’t, and then was paid $85 million to play for someone else.

From 2016 through 2023, the Broncos tried everything.

Everything, that is, except the high first-round draft pick.

Cue Bo Nix.

The quarterback who, from first indications, might finally be the one deserving of the love from a fan base whose team has a track record of QB relationships that would make even the stars of the trainwreck Denver edition of “Married at First Sight” cringe.

BO NIX LOOKED READY

Denver’s lovelorn supporters saw first-hand what Nix displayed last week in Indianapolis. And, more meaningfully, what he demonstrated last Friday working against the Packers’ No. 1 defense, becoming more comfortable as practice went on before capping his day with an efficient two-minute drill at the expense of a team with Super Bowl aspirations.

He converted two of three third downs. On the one he failed to convert, it looked as if he had, moving to his left, keeping his eyes downfield and finding Javonte Williams for a touchdown. Instant replay showed that Nix was beyond the line of scrimmage, but no matter — it was a play that tempted and tantalized.

“It was a pretty heads-up play,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said.

It was about third-down conversions. It was about working out of first-and-20 — and doing so with almost absurd ease — a 10-yard scramble with Sutton delivering a key block and a 23-yard pass one play later to that same veteran seven-year receiver.

“He was good,” wide receiver Tim Patrick said. “He’s been consistent these last couple of days.”

Most importantly …

“He’s been Bo Nix,” Patrick added. “He doesn’t try and be somebody that he’s not.”

Yeah, Bo Nix might be different than other rookie QBs #BroncosCountry has seen … pic.twitter.com/G0iNScR2HP

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) August 19, 2024

They say the best thing to be is yourself. It certainly makes it easier when someone falls in love with you — because then, the love is borne from an authentic place. Being Bo Nix means being steady, keeping the eyes downfield and calmly staying on schedule in an offense that should hum efficiently if a quarterback finds the open receiver and hits his marks.

But it also means being dynamic, taking off when the moment is right and dazzling with a perfectly-placed downfield throw.

“Steady” wouldn’t be enough to make Broncos Country’s hearts go pitter-patter. But “steady” with a dash of beyond-structure flash, which has been evident in the last two weeks?

That could make Broncos Country’s hearts, weakened by so many forlorn years, start beating triple-time.

But there’s something more important at work here.

NIX’S TEAMMATES HAVE SEEN IT

And that’s the most significant aspect.

Listening to Nix’s veteran teammates last Sunday in the Lucas Oil Stadium locker room and again Sunday night in Denver, it seemed obvious that if — or, most likely when — Payton gives Nix the QB1 call, there will be no quibble in the locker room. No chatter about how he didn’t earn it, unlike in past years when Broncos coaches handed jobs to rookies at other positions without making them work their way into the job.

Nix starting at some point was inevitable. But this was the right way, because it put Nix into the fire — and it gave teammates a chance to have their respect be earned.

“He’s super, super efficient, man,” safety P.J. Locke said. “I think he’s like a very seasoned rookie. I mean, just the way he marches down the field, the way he carries himself, the confidence he has.

Broncos safety P.J. Locke likes what he saw in Bo Nix tonight — and what he's seen in him this summer:

"He's super, super efficient, man. I think he's like a very seasoned rookie. I mean, just the way he marches down the field, the way he carries himself, the confidence he has.… pic.twitter.com/u6zLLDkiLJ

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) August 19, 2024

“He has confidence in his arm. He’s able to read the defense and make the correct reads. And, man, he just continues to get better every week.”

What’s more, he’s making it tough on Locke and other defenders.

“Our job is to challenge him in practice,” Locke said, “and, man, he’s stepping up big time.”

Nix looked like a viable NFL starter. Maybe the QB for which Broncos Country has longed.

Sunday night was not just about the new, but the old seeming new again. And that’s what falling in love can do; it rejuvenates the spirit and renews the soul. Smiles come easier, and when times become rough, hope more easily bubbles to the surface.

And yes, there will be tough moments. He’ll have some stinkers. No rookie quarterback, no matter how decorated, can avoid them. Ask Peyton Manning.

But Nix seems ready to handle them.

Courtland Sutton thinks Bo Nix is ready to handle the inevitable rough spots that would come with being QB1.

"I think that he has a really good head on his shoulders. He understands that that comes with the territory. You know, he's going to go out there and make sure that he's… pic.twitter.com/Vsj4RVXRMZ

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) August 19, 2024

“It’s a roller coaster for rookies, especially for rookie quarterbacks,” Sutton said. “And I think that he’s going to do a really good job of handling it.”

He’ll have the help of teammates, too, as Sutton pointed out.

But no quarterback reaches stardom alone. Not without the support of the locker room … and not without looking in the stands and seeing tens of thousands who believe in him.

Sunday night, Bo Nix began making Broncos Country believe.

QB6 in the 2024 NFL Draft.

QB3 in the “unofficial” depth chart issued by the team the last two weeks.

QB1 in the hearts of a fan base desperate to find a passer worthy of its love.

Bo Nix is ready for his QB1 shot.

Bo Nix is the best QB option on the Broncos roster — and would be even if he didn't have Round 1, QB-of-the-future status to his name.

It's time to stop the rep-splitting, name him the starter and charge forward into Week 1. pic.twitter.com/lzDvK8rOzz

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) August 19, 2024