ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — When Dan Lanning became the head coach at Oregon in 2022, he arrived with a four-word mantra — “So what? What now?” — that was immediately put to the test.
In Lanning’s first game, the first at Oregon for quarterback Bo Nix, the Ducks suffered a 49-3 loss to Georgia. It was a difficult day for Nix, who was intercepted twice and averaged only 4.7 yards per pass attempt. Lanning, who had been the defensive coordinator at Georgia the year prior, expected his team to struggle in the opener.
So what? What now?
Nix led Oregon to 10 wins across the next 12 games. He threw 29 touchdowns and only five interceptions, completing 73.4 percent of his passes. Midway through the season, he told a reporter he was confident the outcome would be far different if Oregon lined up with Georgia again.
“From the first game of the season,” he said then, “a lot of teams get so much better.”
The Broncos are hoping for the same growth from Nix after a rocky pro debut in Sunday’s 26-20 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. There is also the acknowledgment of the obvious: In the NFL, you face a team full of Georgia-caliber players every week. There is no appreciable softening of the schedule, evidenced by a matchup Sunday with a Steelers defense that harassed and hounded veteran Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins during an 18-10 road victory in Week 1.
In the wake of selecting Nix with the 12th pick in April’s draft — and again during the ramp-up toward his debut — Broncos coaches and executives frequently have cited two of Nix’s attributes as contributing factors in selecting him: his wealth of experience responding to adversity and his ability to be a quick study. After winning SEC Freshman of the Year at Auburn in 2019, Nix endured two up-and-down seasons as the school swapped coaches and coordinators. He set records during his two seasons at Oregon, but not before the humbling loss to Georgia in his first game at a new school. The Broncos saw Nix tested in the same way during training camp, when he’d struggle on the first day of an install against a certain pressure package, then showcase a deft handle on it the next day.
“Bo is a student of the game,” wide receiver Courtland Sutton said. “I’m sure he has his things he took from the game that he wants back and things he did well and wants to progress on. I told him after the game that he composed himself well and handled the flow of the game well. The outcome wasn’t what we wanted, but the way he handled himself in a hostile environment, there’s a lot of hope and promise moving forward.”
By Wednesday, Nix’s deep dive into the film left him encouraged. He pointed to a pair of two-minute drives against the Seahawks that led to 10 points as positive moments upon which to build.
“Those moments were critical in the game and provided points,” he said. “There was the critical (25-yard) catch by Josh (Reynolds) before the half for three points, and the slants to Courtland (Sutton) and Josh on that (final) drive were huge (and led to) a touchdown. … We were efficient in the huddle. We were running the right plays. We didn’t let the crowd noise affect us. We had the one penalty down in the red zone — I’ve gotta be louder with the cadence there — but other than that, guys lined up correctly. We didn’t have mental errors. You want to make sure you can continue to do that.”
Bo Nix delivers a beauty.
📺: #DENvsSEA on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/cWnFuZ7NYa— NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2024
He undoubtedly learned a lot looking back over his 49 dropbacks about where he can better attack zone coverages. The Seahawks were in zone coverage on 76 percent of the time, according to TruMedia. Nix struggled to find intermediate success against those looks, connecting on just 2-of-12 passes for 42 yards and two interceptions. But his teammates expect big growth coming out of the loss based on how they saw Nix improve on a day-to-day basis during the crucible of training camp. Sutton said he and Nix had regular communication throughout Sunday’s game as the rookie adjusted to what he saw from a bonafide NFL defense. It’s all part of Nix’s trial-by-fire education.
“There might be a specific play where they thought they were playing us inside and they played us outside,” Sutton said. “That may open up something else later in the game. We may have had a blitz someone may not have seen right away we can go back and (learn from). There’s a certain concept we didn’t call, but based on how they played us on second-and-8, we may be able to come back to that concept later on in the game. So us going to the sideline and being up front with the quarterbacks and the coaches on the sideline is huge. That may open something up.”
Not every aspect of how the Broncos respond to their lackluster offensive performance is within Nix’s control. There’s nothing he can do, for example, about the fact left tackle Garett Bolles (calf), center Luke Wattenberg (ankle), and wide receivers Reynolds (Achilles) and Devaughn Vele (ribs) all missed practice Wednesday — absences that impact the rookie quarterback’s protection and his potential targets. The Broncos also placed rookie running back Audric Estimé on injured reserve Wednesday.
Facing Pittsburgh’s highest-priced defense at less than full strength isn’t ideal. The unit hounded Cousins into a forgettable debut with Atlanta. He completed 16-of-26 passes for 155 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. His 59 passer rating was his lowest in a game since Week 18 of the 2022 season.
The Steelers largely used base pressure against Cousins. Pittsburgh blitzed only 4 percent of the time, according to TruMedia, the lowest rate in the league in Week 1. But coach Mike Tomlin has typically been more aggressive against inexperienced quarterbacks, sending a series of different blitz and coverage looks. However the attack looks, it will include a heavy dose of T.J. Watt, who sacked Cousins on Sunday, had three quarterback hits and is one of the most singularly impactful defensive forces Nix and the Broncos will see all season.
“I don’t get into naming who the top defensive players are, but he’s in that discussion,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said Wednesday. “He’s disruptive in the run game, disruptive in the pass game. Each film you look at, he’s beating doubles. He’s very athletic. He’s very strong and he can bend. He’s exceptionally smart. Those are all good traits to have.”
Free, daily NFL updates direct to your inbox.
Free, daily NFL updates direct to your inbox.
Sign Up
If Bolles can’t play, veteran Matt Peart would likely get the start at left tackle. Alex Forsyth would be the probable replacement at center if Wattenberg can’t go. The injuries are concerning because the Broncos in Week 1 struggled in protection as it was. The Seahawks pressured Nix on 42.9 percent of his dropbacks, the highest rate any quarterback faced during the league’s first week of games.
Throw it into the pot of adversity the rookie quarterback faces in the early days of his career. What now? The Broncos are eager to see how Nix answers that question Sunday.
(Photo: Alika Jenner / Getty Images)
