There’s a reason they say, “If you come at the king, you best not miss.” Take a shot at power, and you’d better land it, because there’s no walking it back once the fallout starts.
In the NFL world, that king used to be Tom Brady. His reign on the league for over 20 years was exhausting. And once he retired, it felt like the football gods might finally be able to restore the parity Brady had stolen. But then Patrick Mahomes appeared, and suddenly a new king arrived—one whose reign is maybe just beginning. But that doesn’t mean challengers won’t emerge.
In a loaded AFC West, Broncos quarterback Bo Nix is doing his best to keep Denver on the short list. After a hugely successful rookie season, the 25-year-old parlayed his success into the No. 64 spot on NFL.com's top 100 players for 2025.
Related: Broncos Bo Nix is already learning from a legend thanks to Sean Payton
While 64th place is nice, first would be better. And that’s exactly the mindset the second-year QB has that could give him the chance to climb higher, or set him up for failure.
Bo Nix does his best interpretation of Ricky Bobby's, "If you ain't first, you're last"
The iconic quote comes from a 2006 movie called Talladega Nights. The premise is simple: first place is the only place that matters. It’s not far off from what Nix is trying to bring to Denver.
When speaking about his inclusion on the top 100 list, Nix subtly threw the gauntlet at Mahomes for the top spot:
"I think it's obviously a cool honor, because that's [what] your peers think -- [the] guys you play," Nix said over the weekend, via the team’s official website. "At the same time, just the way I think, the way I am motivated, I want to continue to get higher [on the list]. Not even for the ranking. It doesn't really matter what you're ranked, it's just an internal standard that I have that I want to be the best in the world. I know there are a lot of guys that I'm competing for that with. I'm not going to stop until I at least give it my best try."
"I want to be the best in the world." That's not said lightly. And by no means is Nix outwardly challenging Mahomes, but it is inherently implied, seeing as though Mahomes is the best in the world.
Many people believe the Broncos improved this offseason and are in prime position to unseat Mahomes and the pesky Kansas City Chiefs. The teams split their series last season, but that comes with a caveat the size of the Rocky Mountains.
The Broncos beat the Chiefs 38-0 in Week 18 while Kansas City sat its starters. So yeah, Nix got the win, but Mahomes wasn’t even on the field. When he was, it was a 16-14 Chiefs win, and a reminder that the crown still sits where it always has.
Making the list is a heck of a start, but if Nix really wants to take down Mahomes, he’ll have to start the process beginning in 2025... and then ultimately become the best player in football. A lot easier said than done. Mahomes, meanwhile, is coming off a terrible Super Bowl loss with all the motivation in the world to reclaim the top spot and make sure guys like Nix never see the light of day.
So, if Nix isn’t ready to match the king blow for blow, this could all backfire spectacularly... quickly and frequently. Mahomes is still only 29 years old. He's still got a lot of time to get in Nix's way.