Bo Nix Leads NFL’s Best Team - Yet NFL.com Still Labels Him a ‘Tier 4’ QB
Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix ranks 11th in passing yards (2,421) and is tied for fourth in touchdowns (18). And yet, in NFL.com's Week 12 quarterback rankings, the quarterback of the 9-2 Broncos checks in as a 'Tier 4' guy.
"Bo Nix finally put together a nearly complete game! Denver won an AFC West struggle by complementing a stiff defense with an offense that wasn't afraid to air it out. Nix avoided significant mistakes, spread the ball around and made some key throws to push the Broncos to victory. We'll see if it's the start of something special," NFL.com's Nick Shook wrote.
Dripping with mockery and shades of irony, Shook couldn't bring himself to fully credit Nix for his stellar performance against the Kansas City Chiefs, which led to the Broncos' 22-19 upset. "A nearly complete game."
How Shook talks about Nix, especially in comparison to the other quarterbacks in 'Tier 4,' is conspicuous, perhaps inadvertently exposing the strange bias against the Broncos' signal-caller that still persists in the national media. Our Zack Kelberman illustrated the difference on X. Give him a follow.
Let the Wins Do the Talking
We know that Nix isn't concerning himself with arbitrary quarterback rankings in the press. Nix deleted his social media some time ago. Broncos head coach Sean Payton might see them, but they only matter insofar as he sees an opportunity to use a take here or a ranking or grade there as an impetus for some bulletin board material in team meetings.
The bottom line is, Nix has quarterbacked the Broncos to their best start since 2015. The Broncos have won eight straight, and after vanquishing the Chiefs, they put a stranglehold on the AFC West.
Entering Week 12, the Broncos had the best record in the NFL and the No. 1 playoff seed in the AFC. The New England Patriots also entered this week at 9-2 with their own eight-game streak ongoing, but the Broncos own the tiebreaker.
As we learned from defensive coordinator Vance Joseph over the bye, Nix's teammates "love" him, saying "he can't do any wrong" in their eyes. Joseph's remarks were backed up by wide receiver Troy Franklin, who also complimented Nix for how he's handled the outside narratives this season.
Now, Nix hasn't played perfectly this season, but he's been very impressive at times. And he's orchestrated some legendary comebacks. As I highlighted at the top of this story, his statistics are not paltry or ranked low among NFL quarterbacks.
To NFL.com, though, he's a Tier 4 guy. Let it be, for now.
Nix has led the Broncos to wins over both of last season's Super Bowl teams. The Broncos were underdogs in both games. Nix also beat the No. 1 defense in the NFL, defeating a Houston Texans squad that beat and battered Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills this past Thursday.
At some point, the worm will turn as it applies to the Nix conversation nationally. But it won't happen until and unless the Broncos go on to win something noteworthy.
Until then, let them hate.
How the Buccaneers Can Beat the Rams
This is a primetime game against one of the strongest teams in the NFC. Oh boy. Based on the last two weeks of Buccaneers game, I’m not sure this team is up to the task of beating the Rams. Can they do it? Sure, but there is a lot going against them.
On defense, they’re probably just screwed. You can’t blitz because Matthew Stafford is a literal God against it (20 TDs and no picks). Not sure you can play man as Jamel Dean will be out and probably Benjamin Morrison as well. I love Jacob Parrish, but he’s 5′ 10″. Puka is 6′ 2″ and Davante Adams is 6′ 1″. Not sure I want to see that match up in man. The Rams are dealing with a few injuries, at least, in terms of IR. They will be missing Tyler Higbee and tackle Rob Havenstein. That should hopefully mean the Bucs can get some pressure on Stafford.
One of the few nice things about Stafford as opposed to some of the other guys they have faced is that they don’t have to worry about his legs most likely. Not to say Stafford is Tom Brady in the pocket, but he isn’t the most mobile anymore.
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On offense, things look slightly less bleak. We still have to watch Michael Jordan play RG, but we should get to see Chris Godwin suit up again. Of course Bucky Irving isn’t playing this week (although it sounds like next week will be when he comes back) so it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. With how Baker Mayfield has been playing, I think leaning on the run game will be vital for the offense’s success. There’s also the fact that the whole Rams’ d-line is made up of bloodthirsty maniacs. If they can get the run game going again, that should help. They have only allowed 3.9 ypc on the year, so it won’t be as easy as against the Bills.
Who should get the majority of those carries is an interesting question. Rachaad definitely is the more steady back and has better vision. But Sean Tucker is a fantastic athlete when he gets going. He just might also be blind. I think Grizzard will know which back to ride with as he did last week. I would like to see some pretty even splits between the two of them unless one back is significantly outplaying the other.
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If this article doesn’t seem very hopeful, that’s because I’m not. I just find it hard to see a path to a Bucs victory here. It’s a combination of how good the Rams have played and how mediocre the Buccaneers have been as of late. The Bucs defense just needs to get the splash plays and hope to God they just hold on when they don’t get those plays. On offense, keep the ball moving and hope Baker makes some good reads and decisions. Having Godwin back may help with the chemistry those two have and may possibly free up Egbuka.
