Steelers CBs literally laughed at Bo Nix during Week 2 blowout

When Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton arrived at Mile High Stadium in 2023, he was not pleased with what he found. Following Denver’s Super Bowl 50 championship, the departure of veteran leadership led to a deterioration of the team’s culture. By the time Payton was hired as head coach, the team was in dire straits.

During Payton’s tenure, Denver has made aggressive decisions to overhaul their roster with young talent. Last year, the Broncos spent a league-high $219.2 million on the first day of free agency with a focus on improving the running game, which is a vital part of Payton's offense. This year, the focus surrounded the passing game.

After releasing Russell Wilson in free agency, the Broncos selected Oregon quarterback Bo Nix with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. So far, the investment hasn’t paid off. 

Steelers cornerbacks laughed at Bo Nix

The Broncos began the 2024 regular season with two consecutive losses, largely due to the team’s offensive struggles. The Broncos suffered a 13-6 loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2.

During an appearance on Steve Smith Sr.’s podcast, James Palmer said the Steelers cornerbacks were laughing at Nix after the game.

"I was just in the Steelers locker room going against a rookie in Bo Nix in his second NFL start," Palmer said, via CBS Sports. "[After the game], I'm talking to the Steelers corners and they're sitting there laughing in the corner going, 'We knew the playbook was this big [gestures small fingers]. We know they weren't going to take any shots, and we know what he likes to do. They're going to make it easy on him to go here and here, and that's all we had to worry about.'"

Nix completed 20 of 35 passes for 246 yards and two interceptions during the game.

Nix was named Denver’s starting quarterback after dazzling in the preseason, but the regular season hasn’t been nearly as kind to the rookie. 

Through two games, Nix 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.

Payton’s adaptation of the West Coast offense is tailored to exploit defenses with versatile and unpredictable concepts. On the surface, Nix seemed like an ideal fit for the offense, which utilizes a high volume of quick, high-percentage passing principles. 

As Nix develops, the Broncos will begin to incorporate more complex concepts into their offense. For now, the team needs to do a better job of providing Nix with the support he needs. Nix is the only quarterback to lead his team in rushing in his first two career games, per OptaSTATS.