Bo Nix said the Denver Broncos’ 28-24 win over the Kansas City Chiefs was “a big divisional win” and an answer to the 31-10 loss in the season opener. Nix was 20 of 32 for 222 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions, plus a two-point conversion pass, as Denver came back from 24-13 down in the third quarter. “They played us really well again, and we just responded this time,” he said.
Speaking to reporters after the game on Sunday at Empower Field at Mile High, Nix said he was more tired than anything. “I’m just tired. I’m just ready to go home and go to sleep,” he said, and then clarified that he was happy. “I’m extremely thrilled. Got all my excitement out on the field and in the locker room.”
Three three-and-outs, then a new start
Reporters asked about the third quarter, when the Broncos went three-and-out on all three drives, and how the offense found its footing again. Nix said the first half, which included three scoring drives, was fine, and that the third quarter was where first and second down went wrong. “We had too many third downs,” he said. The fourth quarter started with productive first downs, he said, first a good run from rookie Jonah Coleman, then another first-down play, then an explosive pass that flipped the field.
“At that point you’re down by a touchdown, you’ve got to go score,” Nix said. “Everything’s out the window, and you just play it as its own drive, like it’s got a life of its own.” He added that scoring so fast was “good and also bad at the same time” against a good defense, because it left Kansas City time. Denver finished 2 of 11 on third down but went 3 for 3 in the red zone.
Two fourth-and-goal touchdowns
Both of Nix’s first two touchdown passes, a 1-yarder to Jaylen Waddle before halftime and a 2-yarder to Nate Adkins in the fourth quarter, came on fourth-and-goal. Asked about them, Nix credited coach Sean Payton. “We maximized all four plays that we had. I credit Coach for being very aggressive, and it paid off,” he said. “Literally, it won us the football game twice. If we don’t have one, we don’t have the win.”
He also praised the red-zone work. “The fact that we went three of three scoring in the red zone, that’s really tough to do,” Nix said. “I give props to our guys. We just played it till the end, played it one play at a time, and eventually got the football in the end zone.”
“It’s always fun to throw it short”
With Kansas City in front 24-21 and the Broncos needing a score, Nix threw a short pass to Coleman, who turned it into a 51-yard gain, and Coleman scored from the 5 on the next snap for a 28-24 lead with 1:56 left. A reporter asked whether the play brought back memories of his own long run against Arizona, and how it felt to get that done in two plays. “It’s always fun to throw it short and they run for a long time,” Nix said. “At that point, no matter what, you just want to score a touchdown.”
Nix said the Chiefs still had two timeouts and Mahomes at quarterback, but he gave the credit to the defense. “Our defense played really, really tough there at the end,” he said. “It was just a really good sequence and complementary football at its best.” He called the unit “incredible” and said it has been the group that has “helped win us a lot of football games” since he arrived.
The final fourth down, and the rain
A reporter asked what Nix felt when Kansas City had the ball at the end. “The fourth down was another crazy play by our defense,” he said. “We’re very thankful for the illegal shift that allowed them to snap it again.” The official call on the play was a false start on Chiefs tackle Jaylon Moore, which wiped out what looked like a winning fourth-and-goal touchdown pass to Rashee Rice. After the penalty, Malcolm Roach sacked Patrick Mahomes on the final snap. “It’s just an incredible stand by them,” Nix said.
Nix also spoke about Coleman, and a reporter noted two other running backs are on injured reserve. “Jonah played great, ran the ball really tough,” he said. “He’s explosive when he gets the football. He runs hard, hard to tackle, very quick to the hole and through it. He didn’t let the moment get too big.” On the rain, Nix said it affected both teams. “Fortunately, I played in Eugene, where it rains about every day, so I’m used to it,” he said. “That definitely prepared me for this kind of element.”
Denver is 6-2 and visits the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, November 8, at 1:00 p.m. ET, which is 8:00 p.m. in Cairo. “This league doesn’t stop for anybody,” Nix said. “We’re going to enjoy it, and then we’ve got to move on to the next one.”
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