Bo Nix on Sean Payton's Return to New Orleans: 'Just Another Game'

The Denver Broncos can't afford to treat Week 7 as anything other than the next game to win.

Sep 29, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) celebrates the win over against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. / Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

The competitive fire that burns within Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix has shocked many. We have seen it rise to the surface on multiple occasions, including when it was directed at his head coach on the sideline in Week 5.

It's a side of Nix's personality that Broncos head coach Sean Payton enjoys and wants to utilize more as they head into a crucial Thursday night fixture against his old team, the New Orleans Saints.

This is the first time that Nix will have to start a game on a short-week turnaround. It has it's own unique challenges.

"We talked; this is the first time he’s played on a short week," Payton said of Nix. "A number of these guys haven’t played on a Thursday night, but that’s the schedule. They’ve played on unique schedules themselves when it comes to bowl games and whatnot. It’s really a mindset that ultimately you have to prepare for.”

Sticking with the long-term plan to develop Nix means not blinking in the face of adversity and criticism that have come the Broncos' way lately. Nix and his sheer competitiveness, which Payton referenced, will be crucial if the Broncos are to ride through all the ups and downs that inevitably come with the territory.

“Yes, I think you have to because No. 1, you are going to have fast turnarounds, and you are going to play on Thursdays. You better get it in gear or you're going to be left behind," Nix said. "You're going to go out there and not be prepared and have a bad game. We don't want that. Everybody at this level is good. Everybody is good at what they do, they're great players, they're smart, [and] they're knowledgeable about the game. It's tough. You have to raise your level, you have to find something, a competitive advantage over other people.”

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There have been advanced levels of negativity that have prevailed after the Broncos dropped a big divisional game to Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers. The Broncos looked very flat for large portions of Week 6's loss.

As far as Payton is concerned, transitioning Nix from college to the pros is a week-to-week process often laced with some essential humor, at times. The slow-starting Broncos created a mountain to climb after falling behind early, but when Nix lit a fire beneath himself in the fourth quarter last week, things got going.

Nix knows that back-to-back weeks with slow offensive starts won't cut it, so starting faster has been at the front of the Broncos' minds throughout the short week.

“I've done it for six games, and these coaches have done it a lot more," Nix said on Wednesday. "I don't really know [as much] when it comes to that. We're just going to continue to execute, find ways to execute what's called, and go out there and start fast.”

The Broncos locker room is well aware of how emotional it will be for Payton to return to Caesars Superdome, a place where he brought so much success and happiness to Saints fans. Nix is already savvy enough to know that tear-jerking distractions can be very costly when the challenges come as quickly as they do in the NFL.

“We understand it, but he hasn't really made much of it. It's just another game to us. I know he spent a lot of energy and effort for that organization, so I know it means a lot to him," Nix said. "We want to just treat it like another game. Attack it and compete just like it's another game."

Broncos-Saints kicks off at 6:15 MDT on Amazon Prime Video.

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