Broncos QB Bo Nix Sets Another NFL Record in Loss to Ravens

The Denver Broncos' rookie quarterback made history again.

Nov 3, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) reacts following his second quarter touchdown catch against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. / Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

Another week, another record-setting day for Bo Nix. The Denver Broncos are coming off a brutal loss to the Baltimore Ravens, falling 41-10 on the road. There wasn't much positive to take away, but Nix did some good things for the Broncos.

In a classic 'tale of two halves' type of game, Nix turned in a Jekyll and Hyde performance. He was excellent in the first half — his tip-pass interception notwithstanding — and ice-cold in the second.

However, before the Ravens took complete control of the game and ran away with it, Nix made some Broncos and NFL history. He climbed the team annals by surpassing Mickey Slaughter for the most passing yards by a rookie quarterback. Nix now has 1,753 passing yards this season, along with eight touchdowns, leapfrogging Slaughter's 1,689 for the top slot in team history.

Nix hauled in a Courtland Sutton touchdown pass in the second quarter, making him just the third quarterback in NFL history to post at least one passing, one rushing, and one receiving touchdown during a rookie season. It was the last bright spot for the Broncos offense in Baltimore, and for Nix, who finished with 223 yards passing and an abysmal QB rating of 65.6.

"We caught it at the right time," Nix said post-game. "We knew they were going to be in zero funnel (coverage), and the guy actually made a good play of retreating and trailing. Courtland looked pretty good on that play."

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Add it to the list of records and unique accolades Nix has achieved through nine short weeks of his NFL career. He became the first Broncos rookie quarterback to start the regular-season opener since John Elway in 1983, earning the job by beating out two young veterans in training camp.

Nix's five wins already surpassed the franchise rookie quarterback mark as the most ever, leapfrogging Elway and Drew Lock (2019). His four rushing touchdowns thus far rank as the second-most by a Broncos rookie quarterback behind only Tim Tebow's six.

Nix's 184 completions are the most ever by a Broncos rookie. If the season ended today, his 79.6 QB rating would rank second among franchise rookie signal-callers.

In the Broncos' Week 8 win over the Carolina Panthers, Nix set a franchise record with completions to 11 different receivers. The rookie has also emerged as a bonafide dual-threat quarterback, as evidenced by his eight passing touchdowns and four rushing scores.

In fact, only four quarterbacks in NFL history have passed for eight touchdowns and rushed for at least four additional scores through the first eight games, and Nix is one of them, joining Dak Prescott (2016), Robert Griffin III (2012), and Cam Newton (2011). Believe it or not, Nix is the only Broncos quarterback not named Elway to post at least two games in a season featuring two passing scores and a rushing touchdown. Elway owns the franchise mark with three such games.

Throw in Nix being named the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Month of October — only the third Broncos rookie to ever garner the accolade and the first since running back Clinton Portis in 2002 —and it's clear this kid is on a bright path. That doesn't mitigate the sting of a 31-point loss to a Conference opponent, though.

Nix and the Broncos will have to put this Baltimore game behind them quickly, with another road test awaiting next week. The Kansas City Chiefs await.

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