Bo Nix is a better leader than Russell Wilson ever could be for the Broncos

The Denver Broncos have lost nine consecutive road games against the Kansas City Chiefs. Their last victory at Arrowhead Stadium came nine years ago, when quarterback Peyton Manning led the Broncos to a 31-24 victory en route to a Super Bowl championship during the 2015 season.

The Broncos appeared poised to snap that losing streak on Sunday. Denver outplayed Kansas City for most of the game, and the Chiefs took their first lead with six minute remaining in the fourth quarter. Facing a two-point deficit, Broncos head coach Sean Payton schemed up the perfect drive. Denver drove into scoring position and drained the clock down to the final seconds. 

For Broncos kicker Will Lutz, the 35-yard field goal attempt was nearly a guarantee — until it wasn’t. Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal was able to burst through the line and get a hand on the kick, clinching a 16-14 victory for Kansas City, their ninth consecutive home win against the Broncos and ninth consecutive win this season. 

Bo Nix shows leadership in defense of Broncos Alex Forsyth

Broncos center Alex Forsyth received much of the blame for Denver’s operational failure on the blocked kick attempt, and his poor technique on the play has been dissected throughout the week. 

Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix defended his offensive lineman during a press conference on Wednesday, per The Denver Post. 

“I think it’s very unfortunate, very unfair that ultimately a play comes down to one moment,” Nix told reporters. “People can say that it falls under one person. Nobody prepares like Alex Forsyth prepares. Nobody goes through the moments throughout the week and gets every set, and every look that he possibly can [to] go out there and put his team in the best possible spot. Unfortunately it’s the game we play, and all of our mistakes are on national TV and everyone sees them. There is a lot of negative talk when somebody messes up, but I think it should be known how valuable he is to our team, how much he is respected throughout our locker room.”

Forsyth has protected Nix on the field since they were college teammates at Oregon in 2022. Now, the rookie quarterback is protecting his center off the field. It’s the latest sign of leadership from the quarterback position, which the Broncos have sorely lacked since Manning retired following their victory in Super Bowl 50. At the very least, it’s a considerable improvement from the rumors of Russell Wilson’s corner office and inaccessible phone number.

“It really ticks me off that people can say those things about him and not even see how he works, or how he responds or how he plays,” Nix continued. “I have no doubt that Alex Forsyth’s going to respond probably better than anybody in that situation. He cares more than anybody would in that situation, and I know that every single one of our team, every single guy in our locker room believes in him to move on and respond. … I respect him greatly. I hate that he’s having to go through all this, but sometimes it’s part of the game, and it is what we signed up for. I’m happy to be on his team. I’m proud to call him a teammate, and I know he’s going to respond really well.”

Denver had an opportunity to improve to a 6-4 record, which would have put them in great position to hold onto a valuable AFC Wild Card spot for the postseason. Instead, they’ve fallen to a 5-5 record. They currently hold a slim lead on the third and final Wild Card spot with a 55 percent playoff probability, per NFL Next Gen Stats.