Broncos hope Bo Nix’s short memory can help him find long-range success after rough moments

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — You often hear about how cornerbacks need to have a short memory. If you’re beaten, you’ve got to forget about it quickly and move on to the next snap.

Well, the same thing is true for quarterbacks. And for Broncos passer Bo Nix, that’s the only way to go about the process of getting past miscues like the ones he had last week, in a turnover-strewn performance that was ultimately victorious, but hardly the way he wanted to open his second NFL voyage.

“The real advantage, the real edge, is when guys can just go to the next play, move on,” Nix said, “and thank goodness we have a defense that stopped them, it didn’t really hurt us so we just go to the next play, and you have to just have a short memory and pretend like it never happened.

“You learn from it during the week and after you watch it, but pretty much right when you make the mistake you know not to do it again. It’s good to go through that. [I’m] glad it’s Week 1, not Week 21 and make these mistakes now and learn from them.”

Of course, if Nix is in Week 21, that means the Broncos are in the AFC Championship Game, and plenty of success will have happened to get them there in the first place. But that’s another matter for another day, and it’s well over the horizon, one that seems far away after a Sunday in which Nix posted the third-lowest EPA/play of any starting quarterback in the league last week, ahead of only Tennessee’s Cam Ward and Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa.

Related

Broncos to face Chiefs in Week 1 on Monday Night FootballWhat ‘way-too-early’ mock drafts say about the Broncos’ 2026 outlookBroncos legend Craig Morton, who led team to first Super Bowl appearance, dies at 83Broncos sign former Browns receiver Mike Woods II after minicamp tryoutBroncos learning why Jonah Coleman could be a perfect fit — both on and off the fieldBroncos Rookie Minicamp Report: It isn’t just rookies who catch Sean Payton’s eye

“It stinks when you put yourself and your team in a bad position,” Nix said. “Right there, in the moment you want to go back a couple seconds, just redo it, but unfortunately you can’t but you can go back, get to the sideline, and you can go to the next few seconds ahead and you can redo those, make sure your mind’s right for that.”

IN BRONCOS LOCKER ROOM, NIX’S SHORT MEMORY IS NOTICED

That’s something Broncos teammates say Nix has learned how to do effectively.

“I mean, you look at what he did last year and how the season started off in Seattle and every game since then, he’s progressed and progressed every week,” wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. said.

“… I mean, he threw a pick last game and he comes to the sideline, he’s not fazed at all. He goes in there next drive and does the same thing he does. I mean, that’s who he is. So, he’s unfazed and everyone trusts in him.

“He makes a mistake, no one cares, he goes on to the next play.”

Concurred right tackle Mike McGlinchey: “Well, it’s not just bouncing back from game to game, it’s every day. He’s so mentally tough, right? His, his ability to forget bad plays, his ability to just keep playing, his ability to just keep competing, is why you love him.

“He’s unshakable in that way, which is something very rare for a guy that’s in Year Two to have — especially at the quarterback position.”

These are impressive traits, no doubt, but they don’t come easy.

“It’s hard,” Nix said. “It’s probably the toughest part of our position, in my opinion, is bouncing back from the negative because you work really hard, you get one shot at it, and every once in a while when you miss it, it’s tough because that’s what you just want to think about it, you just want to fix it so bad that that’s what you’re thinking about.”

But given how diligently the Broncos’ starting quarterback works, it’s probably no surprise that he’s figured out this sort of attitude.

“He’s a fiery, fiery competitor. He wants it so bad and he doesn’t let what doesn’t concern the next play affect him,” McGlinchey said. “And that’s incredibly valuable for all positions, but certainly the one making the decisions back there.”