Bo Nix isn't your typical rookie quarterback. The Broncos signal-caller had an extensive collegiate tenure, beginning at Auburn in 2019 and finishing at Oregon in 2023. That's five years of action, and his 61 starts over that stretch are the most in NCAA history for a quarterback. Given that lengthy career at the college level, he's also an older prospect as a 24-year-old rookie.
All this is to note that we've seen plenty of Nix, so there is enough tape for the likes of the Atlanta Falcons to look at as they gear up for their Week 11 matchup against him on Sunday. Starting safety Jessie Bates even made note of Nix being a bit long in the tooth when asked on Friday what the difficulties are in facing a quarterback with not much NFL tape to review.
"We've been watching him [Bo Nix] in college for the past 5 or 6 ... 10 years. He's not a rookie QB, he's a graduate student almost." - Jessie Bates
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"10 games that's usually enough film to really see a quarterback's strengths or weaknesses or what they like to do," said Bates. "It's almost sometimes a good thing when you don't have much. You're not overthinking what this quarterback is capable of.
"We've been watching him in college for the past five or six years. ... However long it was, 10 years. He's not a rookie quarterback, seems like he's a graduate student almost. He's doing a good job, like I said, running their offense at a high level."
With that experience does come productivity for Nix, as he's played well for Denver through the first half of the year. Under Sean Payton's tutelage, he has helped the Broncos to a 5-5 record while completing 63.6% of his passes with an 82.9 passer rating and throwing more touchdowns (10) than interceptions (6). That production has Denver firmly in the hunt for a playoff spot, and they are currently slotted as the No. 7 seed in the AFC. And a win on Sunday against Bates' Falcons at home (as a slim 2-point favorite) could go a long way in furthering those efforts.
