The Denver Broncos welcomed back quarterback Bo Nix, then checked out after that in their loss to Green Bay.
The Denver Broncos did a great job of getting the home crowd revved up as quarterback Bo Nix made his first preseason cameo, but the rest of game was disappointing as the Green Bay Packers put a 33-13 pasting on the Broncos in their second game.
Nix was the big story in this one as he showed out in his return from a broken ankle by leading the offense to a pair of scoring drives. The first drive was especially impressive, as he connected with new receiving threat Jaylen Waddle for a 35-yard strike, then dropped in a 25-yard touchdown toss to running back RJ Harvey to tie the game at 7-7.
“It felt great,” Nix said after working with new play-caller Davis Webb for the first time in a game in an ESPN/AP report. “Just like any typical year, going out for the first drive, there's going to be some different things that you can grow from. But I felt like for the first drive of the season it was solid.
“I think the strongest emotion was when I got out there it was just like riding a bike; nothing really changed.”
Nix’s second drive wasn’t quite as successful, but he did lead Denver down the field far enough for kicker Wil Lutz to nail a 53-yard field goal, and the quarterback wound up going 6-for-9 for 75 yards as he showed no ill effects from a pair of surgeries he had to undergo after sustaining a broken ankle back in January.
Waddle also spoke out about the connection, albeit in more modest terms.
“It’s coming along," Waddle said. "We’ve got a lot of work to do. But it was a good time. It’s good to get back out there with all the guys.”
Most of what followed, though, was disappointing preseason slop as the Broncos let the game get away from them after the 10-10 early tie. The Packers routed the Broncos after that, as Green Bay ended Denver’s eight-game preseason winning streak in a way that left coach Sean Payton in a cranky mood.
“I can't think of one area we outplayed them,” lamented Payton in his postgame comments.
The sloppy play featured both penalties and special-teams issues that will give Payton plenty to complain about this week, and plenty of players can expect to be taken to task. The Broncos wrap up their preseason schedule next Friday when they host the Minnesota Vikings.
