Remember the Titans? He would rather not.
The deflection interception against the Colts? That led to deflection at the podium. The shot put miss to Marvin Mims Jr. in Los Angeles? It was off-putting.
One moment, he called a rage timeout that would make Michael Malone blush. The next, he paced angrily on the sideline.
Monday night, he smiled. His confidence blended with humility. He played in rhythm. His choices reflected wisdom.
It took a month, but Denver finally saw the real Bo Nix. And what a relief. What a joy. This is the player who makes everything seem possible: an AFC West title, a playoff win.
In his second season, the Broncos hoped they would see shades of Manning. Just not Arch at Ohio State.
Nix remained underwater in September as Denver stumbled clumsily into the national spotlight with one win. Despite the penalties, self-inflicted wounds and general offensive awfulness on early downs, the Broncos were two walk-off field goals from being undefeated.
Monday night offered an opportunity to show they were not an emblem of their record.
A sea of flags, most notably on center Luke Wattenberg, prevented the Broncos from proving they have turned the corner.
But Nix provided compelling evidence that he has.
After an ugly three-and-out on the initial drive, every remaining first-half possession became a win over doubt, a course correction on faulty mechanics. Nix was decisive. On platform and off. He was making smart decisions.
The Broncos led 21-3 at halftime. It should have been 28-3 if Sean Payton had not gone full Jay Norvell-Tahj Bullock on fourth down from the 2-yard line.
Nix finished his rookie season with all lights turning green, his 34 total touchdowns prompting Payton to say that the former Oregon star would rank among the league’s top five quarterbacks in a few years.
But during the first three games, the hype seemed misplaced. Hope was slipping away.
His grip tightened Monday as the Broncos were more balanced — J.K. Dobbins had the first 100-yard rushing game in Payton’s tenure in Denver — and intentional. They finished with 529 yards and 29 first downs after collecting 265 and nine in the loss to the Chargers.
“Bo did a really good job of getting through his progressions. More importantly, we converted a number of first downs before third down,” Payton said. “It was real impressive.”
Nix is not afraid to take chances. But the Nix we saw against the Bengals was different. His feet were mellow. His shoulders were squared. His eyes were downfield. His head was calculating and doing algebra instead of calculus.
He was solid, completing 29 of 42 passes for 326 yards and two scores. This kind of performance — a mixture of bold and boring — can produce 11 victories. Maybe even a home playoff game.
Granted, Nix was doing it against a toothless defense that allowed 48 points to backup quarterback Carson Wentz last week. But Nix would have had success against many opponents with the way he was slinging it.
The playlist told the story:
• Nix to Courtland Sutton for 12 yards on third-and-7.
• Nix to Sutton for 19 yards on third-and-4 from 37.
• Nix to Mims for 28 yards on third-and-10.
And so it went for Nix. There was a throw in the third quarter that explained his improvement, his calmness. On an RPO, he was supposed to fake to R.J. Harvey. But the nickel corner came flying into the backfield with bad intentions. Rather than put the ball in Harvey’s belly, he recalibrated and fired into the flat to Troy Franklin for a big gain.
And it wasn’t just the way Nix threw the ball. Did you see how he ran it?
On a night when he was climbing the pocket, he put himself in position to take off north and south without a second thought. There was no juke when he raced 6 yards into the end zone.
This Nix can beat good teams. He can give the Broncos a puncher’s chance against the defending champion Eagles, who had zero passing yards in the second half on Sunday.
He was playing smarter, doing better and getting happier.
When Nix threw his final score to Harvey, he put his arms out and glided to the end zone like an airplane. He had taken flight and taken notice. It was Harvey’s first NFL touchdown. Nix made sure the rookie got the ball after the celebrations were over.
Payton realized what he had probably always known. The Broncos cannot require Nix to be perfect to win. They triumphed at the line of scrimmage. They imposed their will. Their identity is forming.
Nix is a huge part of everything the Broncos will do. And with help, he is pretty much capable of anything.
On Monday night, we all saw that.
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