The Denver Broncos believe in Bo Nix. That became clear after his preseason debut against the Colts and the Packers. The running narrative about Nix is that he’s everything Sean Payton expected of him and more. Will that translate to the regular season? The Broncos nearly managed to have a winning season with Russell Wilson last year. Can they get past that point?

A Broncos beat writer for The Athletic thinks so. Nick Kosmider thinks that Sean Payton and Bo Nix are a match made in heaven and he will overcome the gaps that Wilson couldn’t last year. While Russell Wilson might have lacked “situational football” skills in the past, Bo Nix might not be the one to make those mistakes.

Is Bo Nix the hero Denver needs?

“They believe a couple of things,” Kosmider said on The Rich Eisen Show. “One: Nix is going to be, while he still doesn’t have the experience that Russell Wilson did, hasn’t learned the game to a degree that Russell Wilson did, they believe they are going to be better at situational football than they were a year ago.” Kosmider then pointed out Russell Wilson’s 100 sacks that he took in his last two years with the Denver Broncos.

Bo Nix did a complete 360 when he transferred to Oregon. In his final year, he threw for 4,145 yards and only took 5 sacks throughout the season. That has a very real possibility of translating to his NFL career, because Nix is a cerebral quarterback as well as a physical one. He didn’t throw any picks or get sacked in his last two preseason games.

“His [Nix’s] senior year at high school didn’t get sacked once. That’s just a part of his DNA as a quarterback and they believe that will allow him to avoid a lot of the negative situations that kept them from creating offensive momentum,” added Kosmider.

Over the last 6 seasons, the Denver Broncos’ red zone conversion has been abysmal. The cumulative data from the last six seasons indicates that the Denver team ranks 27 when it comes to red zone success percentage. The Broncos only converted 51.7% of their red zone TD opportunities. That was their second worst record in the last six seasons, per a report by Warren Sharp.

All these reasons, good and bad, might have forced Sean Payton’s hand to move on from Russell Wilson. That animated exchange over national TV was possibly one of the most noticeable highlights of the Broncos’ season last year.

What sparked the animated conversation between Sean Payton and Russell Wilson?

Problems with the Broncos became apparent when Russell Wilson and the team started their season with a hattrick of losses. Then came the game against the New York Jets when Russell Wilson fumbled the ball at a very crucial moment. The Broncos were on their 41-yard line and had a time out left. It was really a do or die moment.

Quincy Williams charged at Russell Wilson and the QB started scrambling, just to fumble the ball, which was later picked up by the Jets. Wilson threw two touchdowns in that game; however, he was sacked 4 times throughout. Then came the heated exchange between Russ and Payton, where the head coach was seen yelling at the veteran quarterback.

“I don’t think I was that animated,” Payton stated. “It wasn’t as big of an exchange or big deal, I think maybe as some may have thought.” Payton tried to turn the page by saying that he wanted to “make sure he [Wilson] knew the linebacker was a free-rusher.” That fumble happened to be the third turnover of the game, so naturally, Payton wasn’t happy.

The Broncos finished their season 8-9 last year and if they had won that game, they would have at least gone to the playoffs. But things with Bo Nix have been different so far. He wasn’t sacked or picked in any of the games he played so far. He’s demonstrated quick release and a better understanding of Payton’s offense. Would it be far-fetched to hope for the Broncos to have a winning season this year? Let us know below.

If you want to find out Chris Gronkowski’s take on his NFL journey, and other things, check out the Dual Threat Podcast with BG12.