The Denver Broncos were on the road in Indianapolis on Sunday to face the Colts in their first preseason game. The Broncos decided to start Jarret Stidham over rookie first rounder Bo Nix with Zach Wilson coming at number three on the roster Sunday.
While Stidham had a errant interception in the first quarter along with some unnecessary penalties on offense which limited the production of the first teams performance, Bo Nix came into the game and quelled all worries with his game management and leadership.
Nix’ first pass of the game was a scary one for fans as the rookie attempted to squeeze a pass into coverage that could have easily been picked off. After Nix’ first errant pass the rookie seemed to settle into his role as field commander with ease connecting with quick release passes, spreading the ball all over the field including to his running back.
While Nix finish with 15 completions on 21 attempts for 125 yards, 1 touchdown and zero interceptions ending the day with a 102.3 quarterback rating. Surprisingly, Denver’s number 3, Zach Wilson finish the game with a quarterback rating of 103.7 for 10 completions on 13 attempts with no touchdowns or interceptions.
The Broncos will be facing the Green Bay Packers next weekend in hopes of showcasing their likely number one guy under center with Nix.
Denver had a 53 percent third down efficiency and dominated first down efficiency by nearly doubling the Indianapolis Colts. Nix along with a handful of Denver’s rookie class played extremely well offering a silver lining to fans who may have doubts about the direction the Broncos are headed in.
Denver’s running game was on full display as well with 131 yards on the ground, averaging about 3.4 yards a carry.
When asked about whether or not coach Sean Payton was pleased with Nix, coach Payton had this to say, “Yeah, pleased. All three of those guys I thought did a good job. We start with Stiddy and he gets a tough break where the ball bounces off Perine. We’re in scoring position before Tim’s (Patrick) penalty. We’re scoring position and the penalty brings us out of the scoring position, but all three of them did a good job.
Additionally Payton was asked about what he thought of his quarterbacks not giving up a single sack, “Yeah listen, ball (is) out. I like the timing, the tempo of when we’re releasing it. That was a big issue for us a year ago with the minus plays,” and “So, I was pleased with the timing of what we were doing throwing the ball. It’s important,” said Payton.
