Bo Nix and the two traits that help him succeed when it matters most

FALLS CHURCH, Va. — Appreciating Bo Nix has to go beyond the numbers, because the data will leave one lacking. It also has to go past the hermetically-sealed environment of practice and the precision that can result for plenty of NFL quarterbacks who flourish robotically, hitting their marks with service-academy precision.

So it is for a quarterback who sits 20th of 31 eligible passers in ESPN QBR, 17th in EPA per play and 30th in success rate.

You must leap beyond data. Which is apt for a quarterback whose success involves another leap — beyond play design and structure.

That ability was evident in spurts during training camp — particularly in the joint practice with the San Francisco 49ers — and now has come to define him throughout a season that has seen the Broncos exceed the expectations of almost everyone but themselves.

Win No. 10 led by the QB in jersey No. 10 saw the Broncos drive to three touchdowns — two of which came in the scenarios in which Nix has flourished: end-of-half and close-and-late situations.

He capped the first half by climbing the pocket to find Courtland Sutton for an 11-yard touchdown strike; he completed his night by guiding the offense on a five-play, 76-yard sprint to open overtime with a touchdown that put all the pressure on Washington’s offense for a counterstrike.

Two traits allow Nix to flourish in those scenarios, as Broncos coach Sean Payton explained Monday:

“Number one, let’s just talk about assets or strengths. When you can climb and gain 11 yards, some people have that; some don’t. In other words, we can’t go work on that on Field B [in practice],” Payton said.

“So, he has that. And a lot of times in those situations you’re getting some zone coverages. Sometimes teams will play a spy.

“And then I think the ability to throw the ball — not only from the pocket, but I would say a strength of his going right or left is throwing it off-schedule. And I think some people can work on that, but aren’t as effective as others. [Those are] the first two things that come to mind.”

MAKING IT WORK WITH NIX BEYOND STRUCTURE

This requires a different kind of preparation for Nix’s teammates on offense. Some of it does come in practice; as tight end Adam Trautman pointed out, the Broncos offense works on red-zone scramble drills during offseason work and training camp to build a foundation to prepare them for when plays go beyond the initial design.

But success is also a product of repetition — and to Payton’s point, it won’t happen simply on “Field B” in practice.

“It’s knowing, ‘Hey, you run your route, you get covered, keep your eyes on Bo, and once he breaks, work with him. It’s kind of a learned thing. You just kind of learned it over time,” Trautman explained.

“And we talk about it. We talk about where your landmarks are, if you’re deep in the progression, where you need to end up on the scramble drill, if it’s to your side, if it’s away from your side, if you’re shallow, where you need to go and how you fit into that.”

And experience comes into play with this. The more Trautman and his fellow Broncos pass-catching targets work with Nix, the better they know what he’s looking for when he scrambles and looks downfield — and the more effectively Trautman and the other players running routes can work together.

“So, we create proper spacing, and then that’s why guys end up wide open, because we understand that and we play off of each other,” Trautman said.

“So, it’s definitely a part of his game that’s got some magic to it. And it’s gotten us out of a lot of bad situations — or pressure situations.”

There’s “magic,” to be certain, but Trautman’s explanation reveals that there’s plenty of method at work, too.

THE END RESULT? NIX IS BETTER AT THE END OF HALVES AND GAMES THAN MOST

In the last two minutes of each half and in overtime this season, Nix has a passer rating of 100.4. Heading into Monday night’s play, that placed him sixth among the aforementioned sample size of 31 eligible quarterbacks.

At all other points in the game, Nix’s rating is 83.1. That places him 26th.

In other words, Nix is Josh Allen in the final two minutes of each half and overtime and Geno Smith — or, to make Broncos fans shudder, 2022-model Russell Wilson, he of the 84.4 passer rating that year — in the rest of each contest.

The 20-spot difference in ranking between Nix’s spots in those points of the game is the second-highest differential — exceeded only by Smith himself, who ranks 27th in passer rating for most of the game, but in the last two minutes of each half and in overtime, ranks fourth.

There’s no doubt that Nix is exactly what you want when it matters most.

Figuring out the rest of the game could be the missing piece that allows the Broncos to shed the doubts lingering about them despite their 10-2 record.

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