Bo Nix addresses the passes he and Troy Franklin keep missing on

Denver Broncos QB Bo Nix and wide receiver Troy Franklin have missed on three deep balls this season.

Two of them Franklin got his hands on and could’ve caught. The other one, this past weekend against Baltimore on a critical fourth-down, Nix overthrew the football.

All of them could’ve been touchdowns, or very close to scores.

Yes, both Nix and Franklin are rookies, but they have a unique advantage. The pair played together for two years at the University of Oregon. Head coach Sean Payton made the decision to trade up for Franklin in the last NFL Draft, based on that chemistry that should’ve already been there.

In 2023 with the Ducks, Franklin caught 81 passes for nearly 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns. The season before, he went for 891 yards and nine scores. All of those passes came from Nix, but it hasn’t translated to the NFL.

At least, not yet.

Nix met with the media this week before the Broncos head to Kansas City to face the Chiefs, and was asked why it’s not working between him and Franklin at the moment. He gave an insightful answer.

“I think with me and him right now, it’s just a level of overthinking it a little bit I think. The pressure and the ambition of, ‘We’ve already done it. We have to do it again. It should be easy for us.’ That’s not the case. You’re going against different guys. You’re playing in a different system. You’re thinking a little bit too much,” Nix said.

This is all true, as the pros are a lot different than the Pac-12. The talent level is significantly higher, and Nix and Franklin aren’t scoring at will like they used to at Oregon.

“I’m also not going to make excuses. We have to hit them when they’re open. We practice well. We do a good job of making sure we get the reps in practice, and I think it’s only a matter of time before the explosives and the big ones are being hit again,” Nix said.

Broncos Country sure hopes so. Franklin is getting a lot of playing time, particularly with Josh Reynolds out, but has only 14 catches for 135 yards and one touchdown. He’s been targeted 27 times, so nearly half the passes Nix throws Franklin have been incomplete.

They have a chance to get going on Sunday against the Chiefs, and the Broncos will need a couple of connections from Nix and Franklin to hand Kansas City an improbable first loss of the season.