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Peyton Manning Had Frank Advice for Bo Nix Ahead of First Broncos Playoff Start

The Hall of Fame quarterback had simple words of wisdom for the rook.

Liam McKeone

Bo Nix
Bo Nix / Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
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Bo Nix's first season in an NFL uniform has been an undeniable success and the Denver Broncos are back in the postseason for the first time since Peyton Manning was under center. The Sheriff has been watching Nix's season from afar and clearly enjoyed the success the rookie has brought to his old franchise. On Sunday, he appeared on ESPN to discuss Nix and offered some frank advice to the young QB ahead of his first postseason start.

Speaking to Mike Greenberg on Sunday NFL Countdown, Manning relayed that he would tell Nix to just "play free" out there because the pressure is very much on the Broncos' opponent, the No. 2 seed Buffalo Bills.

"My advice to him would've been to go out there and play free. The pressure is on the Buffalo Bills. Nobody's giving the seven-seed a chance. Go out there, cut it loose, keep the game close. In the fourth quarter, if the game's close, now Buffalo is really going to be squeezed and that's where the Broncos might have a chance to win this game."

Pretty sound advice from a battle-tested veteran. And advice Nix apparently didn't need, as he went out there on his very first drive and hurled a 43-yard touchdown pass to put Denver up on the higher seed early.

Nix is playing free. The question is if it'll be enough to propel the Broncos to their first playoff win since the 2016 Super Bowl.

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Liam McKeone
LIAM MCKEONE

Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.

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