The first drive was unsightly, unseemly and undeniably, as interceptions go, his worst.
It is what made this game his best.
Let Sunday serve as a reminder of what Bo Nix can be and where this season can go. Is it too early to book airline tickets to Indianapolis for the AFC Championship Game?
With a young quarterback who looked more like a superhuman than a BoBot, the Broncos, at the midpoint of the season, are in the Super Bowl mix. Nix got right against a Cowboys defense that would have fit better in Boulder than Denver.
He needed this. Nix had been everything but consistent over the past three weeks. He sprinkled pixie dust against the Eagles and Giants. But it felt more like TeBo than TheBo.
What played out against Dallas offered more meat, less miracle. He became the first Broncos quarterback with at least four total touchdowns in consecutive games since Peyton Manning in 2013. Manning, to his credit, pegged this before the season, telling The Post, “Bo is made of the right stuff. He will only get better.”
Through seven games we were left to wonder what exactly we were watching: A franchise quarterback, who will be remembered fondly in Broncos history? Or a functional quarterback with a suspiciously low ceiling?
It was time to ask a former Eastern Illinois quarterback for his assessment. Not the one on the sideline with the headset. The one in the booth.
What did CBS analyst Tony Romo think? Are the Broncos really a contender with Nix?
“They have already proven that. Now their job is to put their head down. There is no light at the end of the tunnel,” Romo said after calling the Broncos’ 44-24 victory, their ninth straight at home. “What sticks out with Bo is his maturity. He handles things really well and does a good job of staying poised.”
So, who is Nix? What are the Broncos? Are they legit?
“They had two games they should have won (against the Colts and Chargers), but another two (Eagles and Giants), maybe they shouldn’t have. But you would obviously take 6-2 to start the year. They are probably exactly where they should be,” Romo said. “And they are really raising the bar.”
The response to the ugly turnover suggested they can finish, that they can stare down the Chiefs and not flinch. After the offense met as a group to watch film, after all the talk of creating urgency in practice, Nix fired an interception on the opening drive. It was an RPO concept. Pat Bryant cut in, Nix threw it out — right to Trikweze Bridges.
So much for the fast start. But that mistake is a big reason why Romo left with a positive impression of Nix.
“His ability to throw an early interception and come right back and take his team right down the field was impressive. That sometimes can get you a little frazzled,” Romo said. “It didn’t even bother him.”
Those are things Romo knows cannot be taught. Want to beat Houston on the road next week or the Chiefs in Denver on Nov. 16? A slow heartbeat and short memory are required.
Nix entered Sunday with statistics that were equal parts stunning and confusing. He has shown the ability to win late, but it has been necessary because of barren stretches of inept offense.
Finally, what we thought would happen after his rookie season has blossomed before Halloween. There is no reason for this team, when playing complementary football, to be scared of anyone.
Coach Sean Payton, a star at Eastern Illinois after Mike Shanahan and before Romo, resisted the temptation to get cute, knowing he had the answers to the test.
He stayed in 11 personnel with three receivers, one tight end and a running back, exploiting mismatches with the Cowboys’ backups. It gave Nix confidence. There were fewer line changes, a much smoother operation from huddle to snap.
“First and foremost, we were just sick and tired of how it was going. It was a heightened week. We were playing the hits, the songs we know by heart, as Sean likes to say,” right tackle Mike McGlinchey said. “And we did a lot of things differently with eye candy while doing our base stuff. It was a great way to execute. And Bo, we have seen he has a little bit of a magic to him. His competitive fire and desire to win is contagious. You saw it again today.”
Nix stood at the podium afterward, armed with a 19-for-29, 247 yards and four scores stat line, and could have asked if any critics were still standing.
The thing is, he is not motivated by a columnist telling him to outplay Dak Prescott. He doesn’t look for a piece of his doubters because he is already at peace.
“I am really not focusing on what people think, or proving it to my family or friends. I play for an audience of one,” Nix said. “Jesus has given me the ability to do what I am passionate about. I don’t have to go around worrying about doing this for a reporter or for a stat, or a player, or anything really. I can just go out there and be me.”
But who was Nix?
For nearly two months, he was as apt to redden eyes as widen them.
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Sunday, he showed why the Broncos are dangerous. Given a balanced attack, Nix does not have to be perfect. He can hand the ball off to J.K. Dobbins, who posted his second 100-yard game. He can take layups in the middle of the field to Evan Engram.
And when he gets in rhythm, any pass Nix makes can be a game-changer. He has never made a better throw in the pros than his 24-yard rainbow touchdown to Pat Bryant that dropped out of the sky into the rookie’s hands.
Those plays were outliers this season. Nix was uneven, seemingly out of sync with Payton and the personnel groupings. With the Broncos able to dictate the terms of the game by simplifying things, Nix could do just about anything on any given snap. And he did not even have to run on designed plays or for his life.
Nix showed he can throw it hard to Courtland Sutton and Troy Franklin and soft to R.J. Harvey. He can take a free shot to Bryant and make sure to give him the ball from his first score.
He threw an interception? That seemed like a rumor by game’s end.
“Guys miss shots. The way he responded, that’s what makes him who he is,” Engram said. “It was awesome. We have to make what we did today the standard.”
Nix was in total control. Now, halfway through the season, anything seems possible.
“They are showing some really good signs,” Romo said. “Just like his team, Bo has to keep getting better. But they are in a great spot.
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