Seven plays that explain why Bo Nix broke out against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

For the first time this season, Bo Nix looked like the quarterback the Denver Broncos hoped he would be when they made him the 12th pick in April’s draft.

After a pair of ugly outings, the 24-year-old rebounded against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He completed 69% of his passes for 216 yards on his way to an 85 passer rating.

More importantly, he led the Broncos to a 26-7 win.

Why did Nix’s third performance look so different than the first two?

I picked out seven plays to explain what changed…

Play No. 1

In Week 1, Nix faced off against a disguise-heavy defense. In Week 2, he played another.

But, in Week 3, the defense the rookie faced was a little simpler.

In the clip above, the first play of the game, Tampa comes out in a textbook Cover 3 shell. Then, after the snap, the Bucs run a clear-cut Cover 3. It’s a defense that Nix has probably seen a thousand times. He knows he’ll have a one-on-one with Courtland Sutton downfield.

And Sutton makes the play. That part is important.

In the first two weeks of the season, the Broncos’ receivers didn’t make many plays for their rookie quarterback. That changed on Sunday. The Broncos were drop-free for the first time this season and made a couple of great contested grabs, too.

Play No. 2

While Tampa gave Nix plenty of easy pre-snap looks, the Bucs blitzed him often.

The rookie was blitzed 21.6% of the time in his first two games. Tampa blitzed him 43.6% of the time, per Next Gen Stats. That’s double the previous rate.

Nix has handled the blitz well this season. He has a 79.5 passer rating against blitzes and a 54.2 rating when he isn’t blitzed.

Tampa’s strategy played right into Nix’s hands.

Play No. 3

This is another blitz against Nix, and he does exactly what he’s coached to do: figure out where the blitz is coming from and take advantage of the space behind the blitzer.

Nix has a pair of receivers breaking outside on the left side of the field. After the blitz, there’s only one defender left to cover them. The rookie delivers the ball before a second defender has joins the equation.

Play No. 4

By Pro Football Reference’s tracking, the Broncos ran eight run-pass options on Sunday. In each of their first two games, the Broncos only ran three.

If I was running the show, the Broncos would be in double-digits every week.

Nix comes from an RPO-heavy offense at Oregon. He runs them as well as anybody. The more RPOs he runs, the better.

While there are downsides—for example, the Broncos rank 29th in yards after the catch per completion, so short passes aren’t as valuable to them—RPOs take the load off the quarterback’s mind.

The Broncos don’t need to go too crazy (like when the Packers ran 47 RPOs in Malik Willis‘ first start in place of Jordan Love) but they proved on Sunday that RPOs should be an important part of their identity.

The RPOs are part of the reason the rookie’s time to throw dropped from 2.82 seconds in the first two weeks to 2.57 seconds in Week 3, according to Next Gen Stats.

Nix was also significantly more accurate on Tuesday. His “bad throw percentage,” a Pro Football Reference Stat, was less than half the rate of the first two games. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say the quick, in-rhythm throws helped him hit his target more often.

Play No. 5

Play-calling is tough to quantify, but I liked what Sean Payton dialed up on Sunday better than the first two games.

This play is an example.

The Broncos run a read option. They leave the end man on the line of scrimmage unblocked. Nix’s job is to read him. When the defender chases the running back inside, Nix pulls the ball and runs to convert the third down.

It’s a simple play, but it’s a near-guarantee to produce a first down.

Similar to the RPOs, I’d like to see more read options. Nix is a great athlete. Use him to his strengths, especially while he’s learning the ropes.

However, if the Broncos had called a handful of read options before this third down, the edge defender likely wouldn’t have let Nix run free. That, along with the risk of injury, is why Broncos use them as a changeup instead of a fastball.

Play No. 6

Nix made a great play. He’s a stellar athlete.

But it wouldn’t have happened if a second offensive lineman had been beaten.

When one rusher comes free—especially off the edge—the quarterback can make him miss. When two come free… the play is generally over.

The interior of the Broncos’ offensive line put together its best performance of the season in pass protection on Sunday. It didn’t give up a single pressure. It allowed the rookie to step up in the pocket. Many of the scrambling lanes opened up because of them.

Play No. 7

This isn’t a completion… but it’s special.

Bo Nix tried a no-look pass and put the ball right on the money. There’s no way Week 1 Bo Nix would have attempted that pass, but after a couple of games, the rookie clearly feels more comfortable.

The “look-away” portion of the play was important, too. He knew No. 3 was in man coverage against his tight end, but Nix had to make sure the defender didn’t try to cheat inside and undercut the slant. It worked.

And it would have been a completion if Sutton had generated separation… but that was a problem on Sunday. The Broncos’ receivers generated their lowest amount of average separation when targeted of the season in Tampa, according to Next Gen Stats.