Bo Nix’s feet have been his biggest asset… and liability

The Denver Broncos have a mini bye week after beating the New Orleans Saints on “Thursday Night Football” by a score of 33-10. With 10 days until their next game, the Broncos can take a bit of a break with a 4-3 record.

I like when the Broncos get on a roll. This is one game against a bad team, but with another bad team coming up (Carolina Panthers) they can make it back-to-back victories.

I also like contemplating life and sports when driving around with the top down on my old Jeep Wrangler TJ! The following is a result of those trips during the week.

Buckle up, let’s take a ride through my thoughts.

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Gonna Take Time…Duh

Broncos QB Bo Nix is not a finished product – far from it in fact. He’s one of four quarterbacks with over 250 yards rushing after seven games, and that is a surprising stat to some. As I’ve previously written for Denver Sports, Nix is playing like he did at Auburn (where he was a running threat) and not at Oregon (where he was a dangerous passer).

Simply put, Nix needs to be better as a passer. As the case with every quarterback, Nix needs to have good footwork. Your feet move your eyes, and your accuracy and velocity as a passer is directly tied to how good your feet are. You need to pass with a proper base in order to get the ball where you want it to go.

Nix is among the leaders in the NFL when it comes to passes 20 yards or more, but he’s only completing 31 percent of such throws. Deep throws are a lower percentage to begin with, but Nix must make sure his deep shots are on the mark. Instead, his poor footwork means that anything over five yards down the field isn’t on the money in the way it needs to be in the pro game.

it's weird to say this about a 4-3 team w/ a rookie QB, but should the Broncos be worried about Nix?
his running and short game accuracy remain excellent. but his footwork (i.e., wasted lower half movement and narrow base), downfield accuracy, and his lack of feel in the pocket… pic.twitter.com/fuv0pjPiHd

— The QB School (@theqbschool) October 18, 2024

I’m pleased with what Nix has shown in seven games as the Broncos starter, but I know that he needs to drastically improve his passing skill. Nix needs more time, something we all could have guessed before he even started a game. He’s progressing well, and I believe he will fix the footwork issues that plague him so far this season.

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Future Goff?

Before the NFL draft, I compared Nix to Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff. Many scoffed at the comparison because of Goff’s reputation of being good but not great. Well, after Week 7 many are coming around to Goff’s game because he’s playing like a top-10 passer in 2024.

Could Nix be Goff-like in the future? As aforementioned, I believe he will continue to improve as a passer. Nix was a precise passer in college, and that’s why he was compared to guys like Goff, Matt Ryan, Alex Smith, or Tua Tagovailoa in the pre-draft process. While some fans may not like those comparisons, I think they’re apt considering what he is and what he could be.

Goff is balling out, and he’s playing great football. Ryan was an MVP of this league on his way to a Super Bowl with the Atlanta Falcons that they should have won. Smith was a great quarterback with the heart of a champion for a few teams, and he put his teams in positions to make playoff runs regularly. When healthy, Tagovailoa looks like an elite passer – but it’s just that “staying healthy” part that is preventing him from playing up to his potential.

I have said it for the last several years Jared Goff is a top 10 quarterback and nobody wanted to listen to me. https://t.co/daBgAeul8L

— Mark Schlereth (@markschlereth) October 20, 2024

I believe if Nix turns into Goff, the Broncos will one day be Super Bowl contenders. The Lions are perhaps the favorite to represent the NFC in the big game this year, largely because of the play of their quarterback.

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Throwback

The Colorado Buffaloes are a big story most every week in the world of college football. Now, much of that attention is on HC Deion Sanders, QB Shedeur Sanders, or WR/CB Travis Hunter. However, the rest of the team is garnering more attention as the team keeps winning games on the road.

Sanders has put a bunch of pro coaches around his team, and the results speak for themselves. They’ve already won more games in this season than they did in all of last year (Coach Prime’s first with the Buffaloes), and they’re shocking some college football analysts by beating teams on the road.

At home, the Buffs can be dominate with the rowdy Folsom Field crowd. On the road, the Buffs are proving they can move the ball with ease through the air even in a hostile environment. I also like the way the defense is getting turnovers. It’s the lack of turnovers that caused them to lose in embarrassing fashion earlier this year to the Nebraska Cornhuskers. After they beat Central Florida, I proclaimed this Buffs team would not lose that game.

They’re a better team now than they were to begin the season. Their road wins against conference opponents haven’t happened since they were in the National Championship window in the Bill McCartney era of the late 80s and early 90s.

This is the first time since 1989 that Colorado has had back-to-back conference road wins by 24-plus points. #cubuffs

— Brian Howell (@BrianHowell33) October 19, 2024

It’s never going to be like it used to be, but it doesn’t have to be. As Coach Prime says, they need to get Miss Peggy to a “nice” bowl. That happens when you win eight games – not the prerequisite six games to merely be bowl eligible. After the way the Buffaloes were down before Prime, I’m elated with their progress.

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