Bo Nix Dishes on Where Broncos' Offensive Aggression Came From in Tampa

The Denver Broncos turned over a new offensive leaf in Florida.

Sep 22, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) runs the ball in for a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium. / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Some might say the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were severely undermanned on defense and consequently fell into the NFL version of a Venus fly trap. Even so, the Denver Broncos went about their business with a notable aggression that had been conspicuously absent in the opening two weeks.

Rookie quarterback Bo Nix looked more comfortable and made plays with his legs when needed. Something finally clicked for the first-round quarterback.

These were the critical factors in the Broncos' 26-7 statement win over a Bucs outfit that had just taken down the Super Bowl-contending Detroit Lions, but Nix was keen to talk about the new aggressive mindset he and head coach Sean Payton cultivated.

"Yeah, well, [Payton] wanted to be aggressive," Nix said post-game. "I think he made that decision just off making a fast start and whatever. I wasn't necessarily shocked by it, but whatever he wants to do, that's what we were doing. And we came out and did exactly what we wanted. We went down and got a touchdown. And I think that set the tempo. Set the tone for the game."

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Payton's plan bore some fruit. Now, the big hope is that the 1-2 Broncos can build on this foundation as they remain on the road to face the Aaron Rodgers-led New York Jets next Sunday. Starting the visit to Tampa with an impressive 79-yard touchdown drive served that statement of intent. Applying the same fundamentals should serve the Broncos well in the Big Apple.

There was also Payton's gutsy move to take the opening kickoff.

"We have this saying, 'if you're playing the game on their end of the field mistakes can be magnified,'" Payton said post-game. "So here you are playing it on your end of the field you've got to be mindful of that. So coming out, we're going to be smart about where we're throwing it relative to tipped balls and ball security."

It's funny how playing complementary football works wonders, especially when you have a rookie signal-caller under center.

"It was impressive and I mean, it just shows we game-planned them extremely well... I thought we had answers to pretty much everything they were doing," TE Adam Trautman said post-game via Denver Sports' Andrew Mason. 

Seven sacks also came from the impressive Broncos defense — a unit that only conceded points right before the half. For three quarters, Denver held the heretofore red-hot Baker Mayfield scoreless. Combined with Denver's offensive improvements, that's winning football.

"I think we made [Mayfield] hold the ball," Payton said of Denver's stellar defensive effort. "I think we made him hold it some. That is a credit to the coverage."

In the process of winning, the Broncos are getting the positive answers they wanted. Furthermore, the Broncos may have unearthed a new running back in Tyler Badie, who had nine carries for 70 yards, with a long gain of 43 that stood out.

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