Bo Nix picked up his first NFL win last week. The Denver Broncos quarterback played the best game of his young career in the team’s surprising 26-7 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3.
Nix and the Broncos (1-2) will have a much tougher task Sunday when they face Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets in Week 4. The rookie quarterback will face the future Hall of Famer, one of the quarterbacks he watched growing up.
“It’s quite surreal. I grew up watching him do all his cool plays for so long,” Nix told reporters Friday. “It’s crazy that I get to go out there and play against him. [I’m] I’m really looking forward to meeting him for the first time. It’s difficult to express in words that on Sunday we can play such a good player.
Rodgers is healthy and the Jets (2-1) have won two straight games after a season-opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers. He will have a little extra motivation.
Denver head coach Sean Payton criticized his predecessor, Nathaniel Hackett, during the summer of 2023. Hackett is now the Jets’ offensive coordinator and he got some revenge when the Jets beat the Broncos 31 -21 at Mile High Stadium in Week 5 last season. The Jets got past the Broncos even though they were without Rodgers, who was out for the season after tearing his Achilles tendon in Week 1.
The Rodgers and Hackett combination dates back to when both were in Green Bay, so it’s likely Rodgers hasn’t forgotten Payton’s words about Hackett. Nix will face the Jets after having his best game of the season on offense.
The Broncos had season highs in total yards (352) and rushing (216) against the Buccaneers. Nix executed the game plan almost to perfection, passing for 216 yards while completing nearly 70 percent of his passes without turnovers.
“There’s a certain level of comfort with the games he likes,” Payton told reporters.
Nix showed growth as a quarterback against the Buccaneers. He threw a total of four interceptions in his first two games and struggled to complete long passes. Against Tampa Bay, he threw no interceptions and completed several passes of at least 15 yards or more.
“Going forward, we have to find ways to score touchdowns in the red zone, but I thought we did a good job controlling the game, running the ball the way we needed to and converting third downs.” , Nix told reporters. “It’s just going to continue to build my confidence and then the offense’s confidence. We just have to keep stacking up these kinds of games.
