Broncos QB Bo Nix Voices 'Big Moment' Mindset Entering Bengals Tilt

Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos have cultivated a mindset entering a crucial Week 17 tilt.

December 19, 2024, Inglewood, California, USA: Denver Broncos quarterback BO NIX (10) looks to pass the ball during a NFL, American Football Herren, USA football game between the Denver Broncos and the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. / Brenton Tse / IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

We've been hearing it all season long from Sean Payton how this Denver Broncos team is "different." Payton has alluded at multiple points in 2024 that last year's squad wouldn't have done X or would have come up short in Z.

Broncos Country is about to find out how true Payton's assertions really are. After all, the Broncos of the preceding eight seasons would find any and every hole in the boat.

Those teams would find ways to come up short in critical games and watch opponents playing deep into January while the Broncos would watch from their couches or some beach near a sun-soaked ocean.

One win and the Broncos are in. That was the prospect that Denver faced last week going into SoFi Stadium on Thursday Night Football, and the team proved to be unequal to the opportunity to clinch.

Now's gut-check time.

There's no rest for the weary, as the Broncos will get two more bites at the apple to deliver a playoff berth to the fans for the first time since the Super Bowl 50 season. The next opportunity comes in the form of a road tilt at the red-hot Cincinnati Bengals and the MVP-caliber Joe Burrow.

If the Broncos are going to get back on the horse, no pun intended, rookie quarterback Bo Nix will need to lead the way and set the tone. That starts with mindset and preaching the right things during game week.

“It’s a big moment at the end of the year when you’re playing for something," Nix said on Tuesday. "You’re being competitive. I think realistically this is the time of year that you get ready and you want to be playing your best ball. It’s important."

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It seemed like Nix had been playing his best ball before running into the second-half slump vs. the Los Angeles Chargers. Nix led the Broncos on three consecutive touchdown drives to open that game. When's the last time fans can remember a Broncos quarterback doing that? Peyton Manning?

The Broncos' rookie quarterback has shown a penchant for the bounce-back. After the 0-2 start, Nix bounced back to lead the Broncos to a 3-2 record.

Losing at home to the Chargers in Week 6 didn't put Nix in the dumps. He bounced back with a commanding win over Payton's former New Orleans Saints, and followed that up with a romper over the Carolina Panthers.

Then came the blowout loss to the Baltimore Ravens, after which Nix definitely bounced back. He had the Kansas City Chiefs on the ropes at Arrowhead Stadium, doing everything in his power to deliver an upset win before a blown blocking assignment on a walk-off, would-be game-winning field goal botched it.

Nov 10, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) talks with Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) after the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Nix would show even greater resilience after that low point at Arrowhead, leading the Broncos on a four-game winning streak. That ended last Thursday. So, if the best predictor of the future is the past, Nix is poised to once again deliver a resounding counterpunch.

And the kid has been around long enough now to know that in the NFL, the pursuit of all the marbles comes down to the end — both in the game and the season.

"It usually all comes down to the ending, and then you move on from there," Nix said. "All the big games are at the end.”

Nix feels confident that his Broncos are emotionally equipped to not let the Chargers beat them again by allowing Week 16's disappointment to bleed into Saturday's tilt in Cincy.

“I think it’s our ability to not let one loss affect us. Don’t let one team beat us twice," Nix said. "I think that’s really important, especially in this league. You’re going to play tough games and you’re going to lose tough games. It’s the response I think that’s critical, especially for a team like ours who’s young."

Even though this Broncos team is made up of a lot of young players, they're well aware that fans have been disappointed for nearly a decade. The Broncos know that it's been many moons since the storied franchise was where it belongs: in the playoffs. And this time around, the Broncos have done enough to be in control of their fate, without having to rely on different outside scenarios to punch their ticket to the tournament.

"We haven’t made it to the playoffs in a while, and we have the ability to," Nix said. "It’s all about how we respond from the losses. I think we’ve been able to do that well this year. We experienced a loss last week. None of us are very excited about it, so we’re excited to get back on the field. It’s kind of that competitive mindset to where you knock us down, but we immediately want to get back up and go another round."

Time will tell how it all shakes out. It would be unwise to count out Payton and Nix after what we've seen them accomplish together in Year 1. But Burrow gets paid, too, and his team is even more desperate for a win to keep their dim playoff hopes alive.

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