Bo Nix Doesn’t Know Where ‘Disconnect’ Is Right Now

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix played the second-worst game of his career on Thursday night against the Seattle Seahawks, but the Broncos won the game in spite of him. The defense somehow held off the Seahawks despite playing over 80 snaps and getting no help from offense in the second half, and the result was a 17-14 win in overtime. 

Nix said he doesn’t know where the “disconnect” is right now as he talked about the Broncos’ struggles to generate explosive plays, but there’s a level of denial here that’s close to profound. The offense couldn’t even produce first downs in the second half, and even a few of those might have made this an easier win. 

As for that second-worse game, that stat came from Jeff Legwold of ESPN, as Nix threw for just 107 yards. He’s now had two of his three worst games ever in the last four days, as he threw for just 123 yards against the Chargers.

Everyone knows the Broncos can’t continue to win games this way, but the Broncos chose to focus on their defense in most of their post-game comments. Nix acknowledged that the Broncos don’t win this game without their defense, and coach Sean Payton called the effort “magnificent.”

He’s right about that. The Broncos hit Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold throughout the night as they continue to rediscover their dominant pass rush, and they sacked him five times for 38 yards. They wound up with an astounding total of 17 quarterback hits, which turned the Seahawks quarterback into the turnover-prone, pre-Super Bowl version of himself. 

That led to a pair of late interceptions that made the difference, with the first coming from Kris Abrams-Draine in the fourth quarter that should have won the game. But the offense couldn’t do anything with it, and the Seahawks kept coming.  

The second one happened in overtime by cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian to give the Broncos the ball in Seattle territory, and after three more plays of offensive futility, kicker Wil Lutza was able to kick a 53-yard field goal to give Denver the 17-14 win. 

The Bronos offense did look competent in the first half, so there might be something to build on going forward. But that version of the offense stayed in the locker room at halftime, and it’s becoming increasingly obvious that this is all about Nix. If he doesn’t find a way to play competently and consistently for four quarters, the Broncos won’t have many more games like last night where they get to celebrate at the end.