Glaring stat highlights Bo Nix is set up to fail in Denver

There was hope that the Denver Broncos had finally found their franchise quarterback when the team selected Oregon quarterback Bo Nix with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Broncos head coach Sean Payton gushed about the quarterback’s accuracy, and the 24-year-old rookie impressed throughout training camp and preseason. 

Once again, Denver entered the season with optimism surrounding the offense. And once again, the team immediately fell flat. 

So far, the 2024 season has not gone the way Denver had hoped. After opening the season with a 26-20 loss against the Seattle Seahawks, the Broncos suffered a 13-6 loss in their home opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Nix is neither alone in his rookie struggles nor fully responsible for them. After a historic number of quarterbacks were selected at the top of the first round in the 2024 NFL Draft, no rookie quarterback has thrived in the early portion of the season. Rookies have thrown a combined 196 passes this season without a single passing touchdown, the longest streak in NFL history. 

Broncos are asking Bo Nix to carry too much of the offense

There have been plenty of stats that have highlighted Nix’s struggles, but the Broncos have not done him any favors.

Nix is the only quarterback to lead his team in rushing in his first two career games, per OptaSTATS.

Nix recorded 35 rushing yards and a touchdown on five carries in Week 1. Broncos running back Jaleel McLaughlin registered just 27 rushing yards on 10 carries, while veteran running back Javonte Williams finished with 23 rushing yards on eight carries.

In Week 2, Nix once again led the team with 25 rushing yards on four carries. Williams received 11 carries but managed just 17 rushing yards, and McLaughlin only gained 6 rushing yards on three carries.

Rookie quarterbacks are destined to struggle without the presence of a running game. NFL defenses are complex and difficult to decipher during the pre-snap phase. With less spacing and a faster pace, finding success after the snap is always difficult. A strong running game can alleviate that pressure by taking focus away from the receivers. Play-action passes can pull linebackers to the line of scrimmage and open throwing lanes for quarterbacks to find easy completions.

When defenses don’t have to worry about the running game, they can crowd passing lanes, which leads to the worrisome numbers that Nix has produced in the passing game. 

The rookie has completed just 11-of-36 pass attempts that went more than 5 yards downfield. He has also thrown four interceptions on those throws. His 30.6 percent completion rate on those downfield targets is the worst through two games in the past decade, according to Austin Gayle of The Ringer.