NFL analyst's wild Bo Nix, Broncos prediction could totally blow up in his face

While I would agree that Bo Nix will show signs of promise this season as the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos, this team is going to be hard to watch. They are very much devoid of talent. Denver not only has arguably the worst general manager in the NFL in George Paton, but Sean Payton has been living in the past as an increasingly mediocre head coach for quite some time now as well.

However, that didn't stop Rich Eisen heaping tons of unmerited praise on this woebegone AFC West franchise. Although I understand that this exercise on his show was all about presenting the best-case scenario for every team in the AFC West, even some of what Eisen said tainted through the lenses of rose-colored glasses. My biggest beef is he actually thinks this team can make the playoffs.

It all starts with Eisen believing Nix will start all 17 games and be a much better player because of it.

“In my opinion, Bo Nix starts all 17 games. He gets a full-on season under his belt and proves his ability and how Sean Payton can connect with him.”

While I agree that he will start all 17, I am not so sure he will clearly be the starter heading into 2025. More importantly, I am not ready to say that Nix will definitely avoid being "a missed draft choice."

“He starts all 17 and is clearly the starter of the future and isn’t a missed draft choice."

Where Eisen really loses me is that this team could maybe might make the playoffs. No way, sir!

“I’ll give them a playoff appearance as a Wildcard as their best-case scenario—that they make the playoffs and they’re a wild card team. And I think that would be a very good season for Denver with Sean Payton there. So, I’ll give him that."

Here is the entire episode of The Rich Eisen Show where Eisen gives AFC West best-case scenarios.

Let's unpack all that Eisen said and see if his optimistic stance on the Broncos could be merited.

Rich Eisen puts way too much pressure on a bad Denver Broncos team

Look. Assessing the Broncos going forward is eaiser said than done. I will give Eisen a ton of credit for creating somewhat of a believable best-case scenario for what will probably be one of the worst teams in football. However, I am only interested in what is real. Put me into the group of those who like what Nix can be as a stabilizing presence for this team, but doesn't trust much else with the Broncos.

Nix can be for the Broncos what Derek Carr was for years for the rival Las Vegas Raiders. He can play at a Pro Bowl level, almost certainly a top-half quarterback in the league throughout his prime. However, I question if he has the mental makeup to separate and elevate this team far beyond its inherent limitations. To me, they need a new general manager first to have any real shot at success.

I can absolutely get behind Nix being a team leader and a face of the franchise after his first season. However, the chances of Denver going something like 10-7 and being a Wild Card team in the deep AFC are about as good as my Atlanta Hawks winning the 2025 NBA Finals. It is not happening. Denver is probably closer to a five-win team than it is to being a 10-win team this season.

While I think we will see signs of improvement with this team, they will be bottom-quarter in the NFL.