On the night the Saints honored quarterback Drew Brees, the quarterback whom Sean Payton hopes to groom into a player on Brees’s level matched a mark set by John Elway more than 40 years ago.
With four wins in seven starts, Bo Nix tied the Broncos’ franchise record for most wins by a rookie quarterback in a season. Drew Lock reached that mark in 2019.
“It means a lot,” Nix told reporters after the 33-10 victory over the Saints. “You’re talking about one of the greats to ever do it at our organization. It means a lot. You’re in great company. I am not finished. We have a lot in front of us, so I definitely don’t want to stop there. We are going to continue to get better as a team. I am going to continue to grow and learn as a player. Hopefully, we will continue to have wins like this.”
In 1983, Elway got his fourth win in Week 15, finishing the season with a record of 4-7 as a starter. Lock went 4-1 in five starts, five years ago.
Nix has 10 chances left to pass Elway and Lock. The question at this point isn’t whether he will; the question is how far will he separate from them?
Up next, the Panthers. Which will give Nix a great chance to get to his fifth win. (After that, things get a little harder, with games against the Ravens, Chiefs, and Falcons.)
After starting 0-2, the Broncos have won four of five games. A stifling defense has helped. But Nix has shown improvement. He completed 16 of 26 passes last night, for 164 yards. He also gained 75 yards on the ground, on 10 attempts.
He’s got a long way to go to perform like Brees as a very. However, Nix is already winning like Elway as a rookie. And it can only get better from here as the Broncos force themselves into the playoff race in the AFC.
