Bo Nix arrived to the Denver Broncos with more questions than any of the rookie quarterbacks not named Michael Penix Jr.
Eleven games into the season, it’s safe to say that the Broncos are happy with his answers. Nix carved up the Atlanta Falcons defense on Sunday in a 38-6 Broncos blowout win. The Falcons, meanwhile, put Penix in the game in the fourth quarter of the blowout. He took over for a struggling Kirk Cousins after the Broncos built the 32-point lead.
Nix secured the first 300-yard passing effort of his NFL career while torching the Falcons secondary for four touchdowns. It was the best performance of his young career to help keep Denver on the right side of the playoff picture.
With the win, the Broncos improved to 6-5 to maintain control of the final playoff berth in the AFC. Denver is seeking its first playoff appearance since the 2015 season that produced a Super Bowl victory. The win also secured a sweep of the NFC South for the Broncos, who also claim wins over the Buccaneers, Panthers and Saints.
It’s all added up to a pleasant surprise in Denver for a Broncos team that entered the season with low expectations. Sunday was a salve in Denver following last week’s disappointing loss to the Chiefs that ended with Kansas City blocking a game-winning field goal attempt as time expired.
The Broncos have won this season with a strong defense and steady play from Nix under the guidance of second-year head coach Sean Payton. Nix was more than steady on Sunday while completing 28 of 33 passes for 307 yards with four touchdowns an no turnovers. This game was out of hand before halftime.
The Broncos struck first with a play-action touchdown pass from Nix to tight end Nate Adkins early in the first quarter. Two possessions later, Javonte Williams capped a 77-yard touchdown drive with bruising 14-yard touchdown run. Nix threw his second touchdown of the day before halftime on a screen pass to Marvin Mims Jr. that extended Denver’s lead to 21-6.
Nix found Troy Franklin for a seven-yard touchdown on a screen pass to extend the lead to 28-6 on Denver’s first possession of the second half. He then found Lil’Jordan Humphrey for a 41-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter to punctuate the blowout win.
Nix did his damage against a struggling Falcons pass defense that entered Sunday ranked 28th in the league and had few answers for the rookie quarterback. For the season, he’s completed 65.5% of his passes for 6.4 yards per attempt and 206.8 yards per game with 14 touchdowns and six interceptions. He’s added 295 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.
Denver’s defense, meanwhile, stifled a Falcons offense that entered Sunday ranked fourth in the league with 375.1 yards per game. The Broncos limited the Falcons to 226 yards and kept them out of the end zone.
Bijan Robinson managed just 35 yards on 12 carries, while Kirk Cousins threw for 173 yards with an interception. With the game out of hand, the Falcons put Penix in for their final two possessions.
The Falcons surprised the NFL by selecting Penix with the eighth pick of the draft in the same offseason they acquired Cousins. He’d previously completed a single pass attempt in a Week 7 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. On Sunday, he completed 2 of 4 passes for 24 yards in possessions that ended with a punt and the clock running out on the fourth quarter.
With the loss, the Falcons enter their bye week on a down note and plenty of questions of their own before facing the Chargers in Week 13. The Broncos face winnable games against the Raiders and Browns before their late-season bye in Week 14.