Despite the Denver Broncos' overtime victory against the Super Bowl champions, improving their season record to 4-2, quarterback Bo Nix faced intense criticism from former NFL player Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick, now an analyst for Amazon Prime, described Nix's play as "almost disrespectful to the quarterback position." He highlighted Nix's apparent reluctance to throw the ball downfield, often opting for short passes or throwing it away, which he argued shows a lack of trust from his coach and ultimately hurt the team's ability to secure first downs. Fitzpatrick pointed to a specific instance on third and eight where a screen pass was called, followed by Nix throwing the ball away, giving the opposing team a timeout. He also cited a play in overtime where a designed run for Nix to gain a first down was not executed competitively.
"Bo Nix is not playing competitive football right now," Fitzpatrick stated. "I mean, first of all the guy doesn’t want to throw the ball (and) that’s fine. He’s throwing to the flats he’s throwing behind, but he has no trust from his coach."
Nix's performance statistics further fueled the criticism. He completed 17 of 27 passes for 107 yards, with many passes not traveling beyond the line of scrimmage. According to CBS researcher Doug Clawson, Nix ranks near the bottom of qualified quarterbacks over the last two decades in average pass length at 4.9 air yards per attempt.
The Broncos' offensive struggles were evident, with the team experiencing seven consecutive punts at one point and eight three-and-outs during the game. Fitzpatrick suggested that Nix might still be affected by an ankle injury sustained in January, noting Nix's apparent avoidance of running plays, but ultimately concluded that the quarterback play was "horrendous."
Despite the critique, the Broncos secured a crucial win, demonstrating resilience through a difficult early-season schedule. The team has navigated challenging opponents to maintain a winning record above .500.