Bo Nix Escapes With Win, But Critics Believe He’s the NFL’s Worst QB
Maybe Bo Nix is just a slow starter.
The Denver Broncos second year quarterback began 2025 with a performance to forget in a 20-12 home win over the lowly Tennessee Titans, turning the ball over 3 times and looking generally lost running his own offense.
Nix finished 25-of-40 passing for 176 yards, 2 interceptions and 1 lost fumble — bad enough that he was one of just a handful of quarterbacks to be given an “F’ grade from Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski in Week 1.
“Bo Nix turned into a pleasant surprise after being the sixth first-round quarterback selected in the 2024 NFL draft,” Sobleski wrote on September 9. “He was an ideal fit for Sean Payton’s offense and a mature prospect, which led to an easier transition compared to most. At the start of Year 2, though, Nix didn’t look nearly as comfortable and had to rely heavily on his defense to get the job done against a Tennessee Titans team not expected to do much this season. Three turnovers, while averaging 4.4 yards per attempt, won’t be enough against much better opponents.”
Luckily for the Broncos and Nix, “much better opponents” are still a few weeks away — the Broncos travel to face the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2.
Nix was one of just 3 quarterbacks out of 32 to receive an “F” grade in Week 1 alongside Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and New York Giants quarterback and former Bronco Russell Wilson — Nix was also the only one of the 3 to walk away with a win.
Reminiscent of Nix’s Week 4 Rookie Performance
While not sinking to the same depths, Nix’s Week 1 performance in 2025 harkened back to his Week 4 performance as a rookie in 2024 in a 10-9 win over the New York Jets.
That game, Nix went 12-of-25 passing for 60 yards, 1 touchdown and no interceptions as the Broncos went 3-of-14 on third downs. It was Nix’s first career touchdown pass.
“… Courtland Sutton caught three passes for 60 yards,” Sports Illustrated’s Ryan Phillips wrote after the game. “That means that Nix’s nine completions to six other receivers combined to total zero yards. Remarkable. Nix started the game 7-of-15 for -7 yards. So he averaged -1 yards on his first seven completions. Nix did run the ball five times but only gained three yards. That’s 0.6 yards per carry. Overall, he had 63 total yards on 28 touches, which is 2.3 yards per play. Yikes.”
Broncos Snapped 9-Year Playoff Drought in 2024
The Broncos and Nix ended their 9-year playoff drought in 2024 and bring back arguably the NFL’s best defense in 2025 as they try to make the postseason in consecutive years.
Nix started all 17 games as a rookie and finished third in NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year voting behind Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels and Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers.
Nix was the last of a record-tying 6 quarterbacks taken in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft at No. 12 overall — Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams went No. 1 overall, Daniels at No. 2, New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye at No. 3, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 and Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy at No. 10 overall.
All 6 quarterbacks started Week 1 of the 2025 season as their team’s starter. Only McCarthy, who missed his entire rookie season with a torn meniscus, failed to start a game in 2024.
Texans Planning Bigger Role for Nick Chubb
Expect to see some more Nick Chubb in the Houston Texans' offense after a solid Week 1 showing.
Following Houston's season opener loss vs. the LA Rams, 9-14, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans was still impressed by what he saw from Chubb in his debut since signing in June. In all, Chubb finished with 13 carries for 60 yards on the ground, averaging 4.6 yards a carry and leading the way in touches throughout the running back room.
And moving forward into the year, Ryans says he wants to lean on Chubb a bit more in the backfield.
"I think Chubb ran the ball really well," Ryans said in an interview with Texans Radio. "We tried to mix it up with the backs– got Woody some touches, Dameon [Pierce]– we're going to try to lean in with Chubb a little bit more."
"He deserves it. He’s shown that he continues to get better as the game went on. You saw him running stronger, finishing plays in a physical manner. So, we've got to get him going a little bit more, and I think he can really help us."
Chubb has seemingly made a super strong impression in the Texans' building since arriving on his one-year, $5 million deal in the offseason, and without Joe Mixon in the fold as he deals with a foot injury that has placed him on the Injured Reserve for at least the first four weeks of the year, the door has opened for Chubb to have some major responsibility in this scoring unit.
Chubb sits in the Texans' running back room alongside veteran Dameon Pierce, rookie Woody Marks, and team captain Dare Ogunbowale to share the workload with– certainly a group that faced a fair share of questions before the season, of just how the responsibilities would be divided in the backfield.
But, as Chubb continues to prove he's healthy from last season and the most productive guy in the room, Ryans clearly wants to get the ball in his hands in the run game while they deal with Mixon's absence– however long that may be– and bank on his physicality and consistent improvements to be a driving force in their work on the ground.
Chubb has reportedly been consistent and hard-working for the Texans dating back to training camp, has clear respect in the locker room from teammates and the coaching staff, and of course, has a proven track record in the league of being one of the better runners of the football in recent history while at his peak production.
That doesn't mean you won't see guys like Pierce, Marks, and Ogunbowale get some occasional reps their way as well, but if Ryans' comments prove true, we could very well be looking at the start of Chubb being a real bellcow in Houston.
