Why Sean Payton ‘loved’ how Bo Nix reacted to him on the sideline Sunday

Bo Nix delivered the reply Sean Payton wanted Sunday.

Not just in terms of driving the Broncos to a pair of touchdowns on the two series that followed their heated sideline exchange following a deep incompletion that sailed through the arms of rookie wide receiver Troy Franklin, but in the fact that the quarterback responded to Payton’s fire with flames of his own.

“It’s the heat of the moment. It’s the game. It’s competitive, he’s fiery,” Payton said.

“Look, we’re in the business of passion. We’re looking for passion, and we’re looking for people that have passion for the game, not other things. And I think that it’s so important to him.”

To be certain, there’s a lot to unpack in that thought, but the contrast between Nix’s immediate reaction and that of Russell Wilson last season in Detroit is clear. Wilson is a proponent of “neutral thinking,” which he credited with allowing him to handle the pressure of the moment without immediate judgment. A manifestation of that is in a relatively neutral reaction — almost a non-reaction — to Payton’s ire after a botched goal-to-go sequence last Dec. 16 in Detroit.

Wilson reponded to Payton with icy detachment from the moment. Bo Nix replied with smoke, leading to a back-and-forth that didn’t surprise wide receiver Troy Franklin, who played alongside Nix at Oregon.

“My guy’s going to speak his mind,” Franklin said. “If he has anything to say, he’s gonna let us know what he’s seeing, keep us motivated, and yeah, you guys saw it out there, and you saw the results.”

That’s what Payton wants from his quarterback.

“And so, yeah, again, I loved his response,” Payton said. “And we’re on to the next play, and it’s nothing.”

Sean Payton, on why he “loved” the response of Bo Nix during a heated sideline exchange Sunday: “It’s competitive, he’s fiery, & … look, we’re in the business of passion. We’re looking for passion, and we’re looking for people that have passion for the game, not other things.… pic.twitter.com/bgN1mJcIzI

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) October 7, 2024

SEAN PAYTON WAS PLEASED WITH THE GAME OF BO NIX OVERALL

“Look, he played well, used his feet, went through his progressions, threw the ball well, got it down the field, took the underneath throws, handled the two-minute [drill] again,” Payton said.

“That’s happened a number of times now where we’ve been able to get some points at the end of the half, had good command of what we were doing, and I was pleased.”

So far this season, the Broncos have three scores in the final two minutes of the first half, including a quick drive to a 44-yard Wil Lutz field goal as time expired Sunday. That is tied for fourth-most in the league.

In the broader picture of the season to date, Payton remained encouraged by Bo Nix’s ability to avoid sacks. He took three sacks Sunday — two coming as Las Vegas edge rusher Maxx Crosby wreaked havoc on the Broncos’ protection scheme despite playing on an ankle injury that sidelined him for two days of practice last week.

But the Broncos rank third in the league in sack percentage all season, with just 4.07 percent of pass plays ending in sacks, a rate of one sack allowed every 24.6 pass plays. The Broncos ranked 27th in this category last year, allowing one sack every 10.9 pass plays.

“He’s hard to sack,” Payton said. “And when he plays, you’re not on the cusp of a minus play. He’s got real good command of what he’s doing. And I’ve said this before, I’ll say it again, we gotta keep painting a better picture around him.”

Broncos HC Sean Payton’s assessment of Bo Nix after watching the tape: “Look, he played well, used his feet, went through his progressions, threw the ball well, got it down the field, took the underneath throws, handled the two minute again. That’s happened a number of times now… pic.twitter.com/2gGM0oWfPY

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) October 7, 2024

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