Bo Nix says Broncos responded well after getting ‘punched in the face’

Denver Broncos QB Bo Nix and the rest of the team bounced back in a big way on Sunday afternoon.

Coming off an extremely disappointing start to the 2026 NFL season, a massacre in Kansas City, this was a very important game against the Jaguars.

Nix helped lead a second half rally, earning the Broncos a 20-13 win to improve to 1-1 in the early going.

“It shows really good character. It shows mature men that are experienced, that have been through a lot and coach is right. We don’t want frontrunners, we don’t want guys that only do right or look good or have great positive attitudes when we’re winning. Cause this is the NFL and you’re not going to win every Sunday,” Nix said.

Bo Nix is referencing the comments made by head coach Sean Payton postgame, saying the makeup of the players on the roster isn’t only about winning, but when things get tough as well.

“Sometimes when you get punched in the face you gotta respond and you know we have a really tough team. We played with great grit today and we responded really well. And at the end of the day that’s the most important thing. We could’ve gone on the road last week, could’ve won this game but we still may not have found the grit that we found this week,” Nix said.

That grit led Nix to throw a fourth quarter touchdown to Nate Adkins to tie the game 13-13. Rookie running back Jonah Coleman would then score the game-winner, helping Denver recover after seven really rough quarters to start the season.

“Battling adversity and battling a bunch of negativity outside of the locker room. But we never let it creep in, we never flinched and we never flustered and we didn’t panic. We just kept the plow moving,” Bo Nix said.

That plow means the Broncos are now .500, navigating an extremely tough stretch to start 2026. It won’t get easier from here, with the Rams, 49ers, Chargers and Seahawks on deck, but a win is a win.

And for Bo Nix, he sounds thrilled that Denver never flinched, either earlier this week or after a slow start against the Jaguars. That’s the mark of a good — and resilient — football team.

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