Broncos' Nix-to-Sutton Connection 'Ready for Week 1,' per NFL.com

The Denver Broncos have something special brewing between quarterback Bo Nix and wide receiver Courtland Sutton. That was evidenced by the duo's production last season, as the rookie quarterback passed for 3,775 yards and 29 touchdowns, 1,081 yards and eight scores of which went to Sutton.

If nothing else, the preview we got of the Broncos' dynamic tandem in the preseason finale gave fans much to look forward to when September football rolls around. NFL.com's Eric Edholm was suitably impressed by Nix and Sutton's display vs. the New Orleans Saints last weekend, opining that they're "finally in form" after a sluggish start.

"Sean Payton sent his starting offense back onto the field for a third possession on Saturday, clearly underwhelmed by the first two. The Broncos went three-and-out on the first drive, followed by a field goal on the second, but they moved only 39 yards on 11 plays. After the first team’s struggles in the preseason opener, Payton couldn’t have been thrilled," Edholm wrote. "But engineered the drive Payton needed to see on the third possession, leading the first-team offense to its first touchdown of the preseason. Nix hit on a 43-yard bootleg-- expect a lot of that this season -- and found his top receiver again for a 19-yard TD on a back-shoulder fade. The Nix-Sutton connection looks ready for Week 1, even if the Broncos offense took a few series to wake up."

Trust in Sutton

At first glance, it may have appeared that Nix's touchdown pass to Sutton was behind him and off the mark. While it certainly was behind the receiver, Nix threw that pass early, anticipating Sutton's break, and targeted his back shoulder to protect the ball and ensure that only his receiver could come down with it.

The Nix/Sutton connection was palpable on more than just that final possession featuring the Broncos' starters. Nix went 10-of-14 for 110 yards and a touchdown. Half of Nix's targets went to Sutton, who finished with four receptions for 83 yards and that score.

"He's a great receiver in his own way. He just goes out there and competes, and that's all you really want to ask for with receivers: a guy that goes out there and competes, and he does that at a high level," Nix said of Sutton post-game. "He's been doing it for a long time, and he's going to continue to do it this year and bow up.”

Under-The-Radar Arsenal

Had Nix connected on even one of the attempts that fell incomplete, especially a fade down the left sideline, we'd be talking about Sutton eclipsing the 100-yard mark and sitting down for the day with two touchdowns in less than a quarter-and-a-half of play. And lest anyone worry that Nix has become too dependent on his No. 1 receiver, the quarterback worked to get tight end Evan Engram involved early, though the newcomer dropped his one target, alas.

Nix targeted fellow second-year player Troy Franklin on a screen, and his running backs, spreading the ball around. The only first-team receiver who didn't get a target in Nix's three possessions was the third-year Marvin Mims Jr. However, Mims did get a carry on a jet-sweep that New Orleans sniffed out well.

Franklin's emergence, combined with Mims' eye-opening development and the arrival of Engram, gives Nix an arsenal teeming with explosive possibilities. If all goes according to plan, Engram's presence inside will open things up for the boundary receivers, and vice versa.

Just when opponents adjust and begin to shade coverage Sutton's way, Nix and Payton can target Engram, or Mims, or Franklin, for that matter, and rebalance the scales. Payton knows exactly what he's doing.

Continuity Key

Recently rewarded with a four-year, $92 million extension, though, it looks as if Sutton is poised for a career year with Nix as his triggerman. Much has been made of how Payton and Nix are the first head coach/quarterback combo to return for back-to-back years in Denver since John Fox and Peyton Manning more than a decade ago.

But it's also true for Sutton, who perhaps stands to benefit most, at the individual level, from the Broncos' coaching and quarterbacking continuity.