Bo Nix won’t be the only offensive rookie of the year candidate on the field Sunday when the Broncos visit Las Vegas.

The Raiders may be headed for a last-place finish and are 5.5-point home underdogs to Denver, but they’ve got one of the best young players in football in tight end Brock Bowers.

Better yet: Nix and Bowers were selected in back-to-back picks during April’s draft at Nos. 12 and 13, respectively.

“He can move, he can be outside, he can run a route tree maybe different than most tight ends,” Denver head coach Sean Payton said Wednesday. “When it’s happening week in and week out — you see it with (Detroit’s Sam LaPorta), you see it obviously with (Travis) Kelce and (George) Kittle. It becomes a little bit more challenging when they’re outside at receiver.”

While Nix has come on strong in recent weeks, Bowers has been a force from the start. He’s second in the NFL in catches (70), has 713 receiving yards and is tracking toward breaking just about every rookie record on the books for tight ends.

Two of his biggest games of the season came last week in a loss to Miami (13 catches for 126 yards and a touchdown) and Week 5 against Denver (8 catches for 97 and a touchdown). He’s had eight or more catches five times this year and he’s ninth overall in the NFL in yards after the catch.

“They’ve made it a key for him to get the ball,” Broncos corner Pat Surtain II said. “Obviously 13 catches is a high rate, especially for a rookie. But they’ve made it a point of emphasis to get him the ball at any spot and any position. They’ve even got him at X back-side, at tight end, at Z. He’s playing all positions and they’re utilizing him very well.

“It’s going to be a good challenge for us.”

Turner-Yell out for the year. Wednesday brought tough news for safety Delarrin Turner-Yell.

The Broncos opted not to activate him from the physically unable to perform list at the end of his 21-day practice window, meaning he’ll revert to PUP and is out for the season.

“We spent a lot of time going through it,” Payton said. “We’ve got a real clear vision for him. Bright future. Had a real good visit. I know it’s difficult.”

Turner-Yell tore his ACL and meniscus in Week 17 last year and had worked diligently to get back. He was on track to hit his goal of returning around midseason when Denver returned him to practice three weeks ago.

Denver is healthy, though, and ultimately decided it didn’t have a roster move it felt comfortable making to get him back on the 53-man roster.

“With where we’re at in the season, it just became a challenge relative to managing the roster,” Payton said.

The Broncos have decisions to make on other reserve-list players in the coming week in linebacker Drew Sanders (Nov. 27 deadline) and wide receiver Josh Reynolds (Dec. 4 deadline).

Powers out Wednesday. Broncos left guard Ben Powers did not practice Wednesday because of a right shoulder injury he suffered late in Sunday’s win against Atlanta.

Safety Brandon Jones (abdomen) was limited all of last week, missed Sunday’s game and was limited again Wednesday. Defensive lineman Zach Allen’s been getting veteran rest days regularly on Wednesdays, while Sanders (Achilles), Reynolds (hand) and safety P.J. Locke (thumb) all practiced fully.

Run defense. Given the opponent and circumstances, Sunday against Atlanta might have been the Broncos’ best run defense performance since 2019. Denver held the Falcons to 50 rushing yards despite that offense averaging 152 over its past five games. The Broncos had only held two opponents to less than 50 rushing yards since the 2019 season.

“If an offense has got a run rhythm, you’re defending a lot of different elements,” Payton said Wednesday. “If an offense at some point becomes one dimensional, then you’re defending one element.”

The Broncos have surged to No. 4 in the NFL in yards allowed per carry (3.8) and are tied for sixth in EPA per rush allowed (-.12). Denver finished the 2023 season last yards allowed per carry (5.0).

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Bo Nix’s case for Offensive Rookie of the Year just keeps getting better.

The Broncos starting quarterback was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week after his performance in Denver’s 38-6 win over the Atlanta Falcons last week.

Nix, the first rookie quarterback in team history to receive the honor, delivered his best performance of the season, completing 28 of 33 passes (84.8%) for 307 yards and four touchdowns. He is the first rookie quarterback in NFL history to record 300 passing yards, four passing touchdowns and complete 80 percent of his throws in a game.

He also finished with a passer rating of 145.0 — the second-highest passer rating by a rookie in a game while attempting at least 30 passes.

Nix’s latest accolade comes after he was named the league’s rookie of the week, following his 215-yard and two-touchdown performance in Week 10’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on the road.

The former Oregon standout is the first Bronco to receive AFC Offensive Player of the Week accolades since wide receiver Jerry Jeudy in 2022 and the first Denver quarterback since Trevor Siemian in 2016.

From a numbers standpoint, Nix — the 12th overall pick last April — has been one of the best quarterbacks in the league since Week 5. He has the fifth-most passing yards (1,615) and touchdown passes (13) during this span.

His midseason surge has helped the Broncos be in the middle of the AFC playoff race.

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Bo Nix’s case for Offensive Rookie of the Year just keeps getting better.

The Broncos starting quarterback was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week after his performance in Denver’s 38-6 win over the Atlanta Falcons last week.

“Many great players have won the award in the past, so it’s an honor to be included, but there’s a lot of work left to be done,” Nix said.

Nix, the first rookie quarterback in team history to receive the honor, delivered his best performance of the season, completing 28 of 33 passes (84.8%) for 307 yards and four touchdowns. He is the first rookie quarterback in NFL history to record 300 passing yards, four passing touchdowns and complete 80 percent of his throws in a game.

He also finished with a passer rating of 145.0 — the second-highest passer rating by a rookie in a game while attempting at least 30 passes.

Nix’s latest accolade comes after he was named the league’s rookie of the week, following his 215-yard and two-touchdown performance in Week 10’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on the road. For the Broncos, his recent accomplishments are a reminder of how far he has come and how much room he has to grow.

“I would need to find a good thesaurus to describe how excited I am for him,” wide receiver Courtland Sutton said. “… It brings me joy to be on this journey with him. This is just the tip of the iceberg.”

The former Oregon standout is the first Bronco to receive AFC Offensive Player of the Week accolades since wide receiver Jerry Jeudy in 2022 and the first Denver quarterback since Trevor Siemian in 2016.

From a numbers standpoint, Nix — the 12th overall pick last April — has been one of the best quarterbacks in the league since Week 5. He has the fifth-most passing yards (1,615) and touchdown passes (13) during this span.

Nix’s performance has been night-and-day compared to the early weeks of the season. He completed 83 of 138 pass attempts for 660 yards, a touchdown and four interceptions from Week 1 to 4. Nix even had a passer rating of 62.5 during that time.

For Nix, one of the biggest reasons for his improvement is having a greater understanding of the offense.

“When I know what we’re doing, it slows the defense down a little bit, and I can get the ball where it needs to go,” Nix said.

Said head coach Sean Payton: “I’m proud of where he’s at. The best part is he is very grounded (and) team driven.”

His midseason surge has helped the Broncos be in the middle of the AFC playoff race. He has also generated praise from former Broncos quarterback John Elway.

“He’s going to keep getting better and better,” Elway said on the Adam Schefter Podcast, but added that he hasn’t met or spoken with the 24-year-old.

In 1983, Elway became the first Denver rookie to start at quarterback during the opening weekend of the season. 41 years later, Nix accomplished that feat.

Nix called Elway “a legend.” He added it’s an honor for his name to be spoken by a Hall of Famer.

“Like most guys, they would love to have a chat with John Elway and pick his brain,” Nix said. “Guys like that just have a lot of knowledge that they can share.”

Sutton could’ve talked about Nix for hours on Wednesday. He believes that Nix has the potential to have a long and successful career because his teammate is not complacent.

“He’s understanding that he’s having success, but keeps going,” Sutton said. “The record books are going to be hit pretty hard by him. The way that he’s attacking the games, and his preparation, he’s gonna continue to ascend.”

Quinn Meinerz was the perfect bodyguard to pave Troy Franklin’s path to the goal line.

In the third quarter against the Falcons, the Broncos faced a second-and-goal from Atlanta’s 7-yard line when quarterback Bo Nix quickly threw a screen pass to Denver’s rookie wide receiver — and Meinerz turned into a bully.

The big belly right guard held off inside linebacker Kaden Elliss with his left arm, and when he spotted safety Jessie Bates III attempting to close in, he dropped Bates to the ground to help Franklin score the second touchdown of his young NFL career.

While Nix’s four-touchdown performance dominated the discussion after Denver’s 38-6 win over Atlanta last Sunday, the offensive masterclass also offered more evidence that Denver’s offensive line has transformed into a formidable front.

“The offensive line is playing at a really high level,” Nix said. “… It is not like we are letting guys through and getting beat.”

The numbers tell the story.

The Broncos are tied for fifth in sacks allowed (18) and have the fourth-lowest pressure rate in the league at 27.8%. Denver has given up an average time to pressure of 2.89 seconds, tied for third in the league, according to NFL’s Next Gen Stats.

Franklin’s touchdown and Marvin Mims Jr.’s score off another screen pass in the first half provided further proof that the five-man unit has turned a corner. Entering Sunday, Denver had a 36.8% success rate on screens, according to Next Gen Stats.

“I won’t say we were giddy, but finally,” a relieved coach Sean Payton said of the screen-play touchdowns.

Both scores were a product of Denver’s offensive line being able to block in space. In the second quarter, Meinerz and right tackle Mike McGlinchey ran down the field, each blocking a defender to open the door for Mims to score on a 12-yard reception.

“I don’t like to be in space a lot,” Meinerz said. “I am a guard so I like being in a little box, but we detail those plays really well. That’s a credit to our (offensive line) coach Zach Strief, helping coach our landmarks, aiming points and strategies regarding those plays.”

The Broncos gave up a sack and five pressures in pass protection, amounting to just another day at the office for the offensive line. It was the sixth game where Denver had allowed less than 10 pressures. In those games, Nix has thrown for 1,237 yards, 10 touchdowns and no interceptions.

Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles has played at a high level. He has allowed a sack and 21 pressures on 396 pass-blocking snaps, according to Next Gen Stats. His pressure rate (5.3%) is tied for fifth-best among offensive tackles with a minimum of 250 pass-blocking snaps.

Denver’s 9-play, 70-yard scoring drive, which resulted in Nix throwing a touchdown pass to tight end Nate Adkins to take a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, featured Bolles overpowering defenders.

“What makes (Nix) so special is when he has time to throw the ball, he gets the ball to our playmakers,” Bolles said.

Denver’s success up front is even more impressive when accounting for the time McGlinchey, center Luke Wattenberg and backup offensive tackle Alex Palczewski have missed due to injuries. McGlinchey (MCL sprain) was placed on injured reserve after Week 2’s loss to Pittsburgh. Wattenberg was also sidelined for four games after sustaining an ankle injury in Week 5 against Las Vegas.

While McGlinchey was absent in Weeks 3-6, the offensive line didn’t falter. Denver allowed a pressure rate of 28.3% and five sacks — the second-lowest in the league during that span.

McGlinchey returned to the field in Week 7 and has only built on the line’s strong play. He has given up two sacks, 11 pressures and a pressure rate of 5.9% since being inserted back into the starting lineup.

“Whenever the quarterback isn’t getting hit, and we’re running the ball really well, they’re kind of like the second-to-last group to get acknowledged,” wide receiver Courtland Sutton said. “But they love being in the trenches, doing the dirty work.

“They understand that they are not going to get all the recognition, but they are going out there week in and week out and giving it their best.”

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Denver Post Broncos writer Parker Gabriel posts his Broncos Mailbag weekly during the season and periodically during the offseason. Click here to submit a question.

Hi Parker, I know the focus is going to be on the big win Sunday, as it should be. However, my mind is going to what the Broncos are going to do with Garett Bolles. The offensive line is playing well, and he’s certainly been a part of it. Do you think they’ll re-sign him, let one of the youngsters get a chance, draft a replacement and/or a combination?

Thanks.

— Brandon Brown, Rogers, Minn.

Hey Brandon, that’s a great question. Venerable Post columnist Troy Renck talked to Bolles about this very subject last week. Bolles, not surprisingly, expressed a desire to stay in Denver beyond this year and finish his career here.

We also, though, know stories in the NFL don’t often end that way.

Bolles’ metrics this year are really good outside the fact that he’s been penalized often. The Broncos offensive line as a whole ranks highly, too, in most metrics.

Interestingly, Broncos head coach Sean Payton was asked about those metrics Friday and he gave a good share of the credit to rookie quarterback Bo Nix.

“Show me good pass protection metrics and I’m going to show you a quarterback that doesn’t take sacks,” Payton said then. “It’s a credit to the O-line, but there are some quarterbacks that are tough to protect for. I’ve just gone through it in my career. … I think those metrics are offensive line and quarterback-driven metrics.”

Payton, of course, still values offensive linemen. It’s also fair to say that there have been several points over the past year where it would have made sense from a cap perspective to get an extension with Bolles done if the team was interested in doing one.

Instead, he’s carrying a $20 million cap number through the season. The Broncos restructured Courtland Sutton’s contract right before the season to fit Pat Surtain II’s extension in. They traded Baron Browning and in the process created a bit of space to get Jonathon Cooper’s extension in.

None of that makes a new contract this winter impossible — general manager George Paton this spring was complimentary of Bolles and said he still moves like he’s 25 years old — but it does seem as though Denver at least wanted to be out from the contract at the end of this season so it could evaluate its options fully.

Drafting one sounds good, but boxing yourself into having to select one position early in the draft is bad business. A future shuffle including Mike McGlinchey, Alex Palczewski or others can’t be entirely ruled out, either.

Even with Bolles’ contract expiring after the 2024 season, three of Denver’s top eight current cap charges for 2025 are linemen. So whether it’s Bolles moving on or some other move, some kind of shuffling seems to be in the cards this offseason.

Re-upping with Bolles on a relatively short extension makes sense to me. Whether it’s a path the Broncos will seriously consider remains to be seen.

Can the Broncos run the table and win the final six games of the season? If not, who’s the stumbling block?

— Ed Helinski, Auburn, N.Y.

Hey Parker, we’re sitting here at 6-5 (should be 7-4) and in sole possession of the final wild-card spot. What do we need to do these final six games to get a playoff berth? Is going 3-3 going to be enough to get there? We should beat the Raiders, Browns and Bengals, but I don’t know about the rest.

— Mark, Arvada

Ed and Mark, each regular Mailbaggers, had similarly themed questions about the remainder of the season so let’s tackle them together. Running the table is unlikely for anybody with seven weeks to go and the same goes for the Broncos. But they don’t need to to make the postseason. A current odds check from the New York Times’ model puts Denver at 65% to make the playoffs currently.

The bottom line is everything keeps coming up in the Broncos’ favor. Cincinnati easily could have won its past two games and put itself in the mix, but instead, two close losses have them at 4-7. The Bengals may well need to run the table to make it from here. Everybody below Cincinnati is done. The Jets are super out at 3-8 and fired GM Joe Douglas on Tuesday, New England’s interesting long-term with Drake Maye but done this year at 3-8 and the rest are a batch of two-win teams.

That leaves Indianapolis (5-6) and Miami (4-6) one game behind the Broncos in the loss column. It goes without saying, then, that Denver’s home game against Indianapolis on Dec. 15 is a big one. It’ll count double. Same goes for the Cincinnati game, assuming they reel off some wins between now and then.

It seems like every year we look at the playoff picture and say, “This might be the year 9-8 gets you in,” but this really does seem like that year. Most of the time it takes 10 wins to feel safe. The easiest way for Denver to get in at 9-8 (which means a 3-3 finish) would be for two of those wins to come against the Colts and Bengals.

Obviously the picture changes week by week, but if the Broncos take care of business the next two games before their bye week — remember, the team’s never actually won at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas — it sets up a big one in mid-December against Indy.

It used to be that a coach would often call for the field goal try on third down in the situation the Broncos were at the end of the Chiefs game, in case of a bad snap or hold. I was surprised Payton didn’t. Did anyone ask that question post-game, or was the option not really applicable?

— Fred Waiss, Prairie du Chien, Wis.

Hey Fred, interesting question and one that hasn’t been asked, I think probably for a few reasons.

First: Operations in the NFL now are really good. I don’t know what the data says, but I think special teams coaches would tell you that kick-ruining snaps and holds are less common than they used to be. Plus, there are rules about when the offense can even retain possession. All of it just adds up to a low percentage play.

Plus, if you’re leaving enough time on the clock to know you can re-try a kick, that means you’re leaving at least a small amount of time where the other team gets the ball back. And we’ve seen that Patrick Mahomes and company don’t need much time to make something wild happen.

What’s going on with our running back situation? I feel like I never know who’s going to be RB1 week-to-week. Is it just whoever has the hot hand?

— Mike, Denver

Hey Mike, pretty much. We saw Audric Estime get 14 carries and Javonte Williams one against Kansas City and then Williams get nine and Estime six (mostly late) against Atlanta.

The snap counts in those games tell a similar story: Estime 26, Williams 17 vs. KC and Williams 32, Estime 14 against the Falcons.

When Williams has burst and is feeling good, you can see why the Broncos still want him heavily involved. He was impressive in generating 87 yards and a touchdown on 13 touches against Atlanta. But other weeks just haven’t looked the same. Estime’s got young legs and is a powerful runner. It can’t hurt to keep both as fresh as possible as the season goes along. But it’s also hard to imagine Estime going back to the one or two random carries per game down the stretch. Cold weather feels like a good time to feed him the ball.

Will we get to see Drew Sanders play this year? He was so highly talked up coming out of college, but I haven’t seen much of him.

— Adam G., Denver

Hey Adam, we think so. We’ll know for sure in the next couple of weeks. Sanders has been back practicing the past two weeks so Denver must decide on him being activated by Nov. 27.

Sanders bumped up from being a limited participant his first week back to full participation last week.

One thing we don’t know for sure is how big a role defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has in mind for Sanders if/when he returns. Since the team traded Browning at the deadline, Dondrea Tillman has provided steady snaps in the outside linebacker rotation.

There’s also the roster consideration: Denver’s got Sanders, S Delarrin Turner-Yell (Wednesday) and WR Josh Reynolds (two weeks) all nearing deadlines for returning to the active roster.

Remember: If an injured reserve or PUP player starts practicing and isn’t activated to the 53-man roster after 21 days, he reverts to the reserve list and is out for the season.

So the Broncos are in a good position where they don’t have to rush Sanders back into action, but they’re also reaching the point before long where they’ll have to make a decision.

This might make me sound like a conspiracy theorist but in any way do you think Sean Payton might be “subtly, quietly” tanking this season because he knows our roster isn’t talented enough to compete yet and needs another year of a top 10 draft choice and solid draft to improve roster enough to compete?! It’s just peculiar to me to throw Bo Nix out there so early and watch him struggle mightily but yet not make a change. And quietly ask the whole left side of the line to not block for a game-winning field goal that would hurt draft position? His job is secure and he knows that so why not try it? I may just be crazy but let me know what you think.

— Jared, Arvada

Jared, you sound like a conspiracy theorist. But that’s fine. We’ll go through why.

First point: The Kansas City loss was brutal. The Broncos should have been more concerned about pressure off the left side in recent weeks, but that hardly means it was an intentional lapse.

The second point: If this is a tank job, it’s a really bad one. The Broncos are 6-5 and will likely be favored in their next three games. They’re arguably more likely to win 10 games than land a top 10 pick, barring a massive injury run or a complete meltdown. If the draft were today, the Broncos would be picking No. 19.

The third reason: The way Bo Nix played Sunday against Atlanta — and really the way he’s played overall the past few weeks — is why they threw him right into the fire Week 1. There’s only so much you can learn from the sideline and the Broncos bet that he could handle the early struggle, learn from it and improve. He’s done that. Now, there’s a long way to go and probably some rough patches still ahead, but this is what Payton and company were hoping for by playing him early.

Part of going with that plan is, if it takes an entire season for Nix and your young players to click and you’re bad, then you’re in good draft position to add a premium player and perhaps that helps jumpstart the process in 2025. That’s why it felt like, for as much as players and coaches only talk about trying to win, that the initial goal for the Broncos this season was to get a good, solid read on whether Nix looked like the franchise’s long-term answer at quarterback.

So far, so good on that front.

But the Broncos aren’t looking for just that outcome at this point. It’s time to get greedy. Now you’re thinking that you can make the postseason and expose a group that’s ahead of schedule to what playoff football looks like. That experience would be invaluable going forward, in addition to obviously ending the franchise’s long drought.

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As a committee prepares to select a Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist in the coaching category for the 2025 class, Broncos coach Sean Payton had a simple message regarding Mike Shanahan’s candidacy.

“It’s easy,” Payton said Monday. “It’s all there in front of you.”

Shanahan, the winningest coach in Broncos history and back-to-back Super Bowl champion, is one of nine semifinalists slated to be considered Tuesday when the Coach Blue-Ribbon Committee said it was next set to meet.

According to a news release last month announcing the nine semifinalists, the committee, “will discuss the Semifinalists at length … to select one Finalist for the full Selection Committee to consider for possible election with the new class of enshrinees.”

That means whichever of the nine semifinalists is selected as a finalist will be alone on the doorstep of the Hall, with only approval by the full committee remaining before enshrinement.

Shanahan is joined among semifinalists by fellow former Broncos coach Dan Reeves as well as Mike Holmgren, Tom Coughlin, Chuck Knox, Marty Schottenheimer, George Seifert, Clark Shaughnessy and Bill Arnsparger.

Shanahan, of course, served as Denver’s head coach from 1995-08 and also was the head coach of the Los Angeles Raiders (1988-89) and in Washington (2010-13) for a total of 20 seasons. He won 170 regular-season games and finished the 1997 and ’98 seasons as a Super Bowl champion with Denver. His Broncos tenure included a 138-86 mark and postseason appearances in seven of 14 seasons.

Shanahan’s impact is still felt around the NFL today as teams continue to use the zone-based running system he helped popularize in the 1990s. His extensive coaching tree includes several current head coaches like his son Kyle (San Francisco), Sean McVay (L.A. Rams), Matt LaFleur (Green Bay), Mike McDaniel (Miami) and Raheem Morris (Atlanta), along with former coaches like Gary Kubiak and numerous assistants and coordinators.

“I’ve had a long friendship with him,” Payton said of Shanahan. “What he’s accomplished in our game: He has two Super Bowl championships. He’s been behind, I would say, the minds of so many coaches working right now. I’d say almost a third of the league at one point has been impacted by Mike. Not only the coaching tree, I’m talking about the offensive tree.

“When I got into the league, there were two or three teams that you studied and Denver was one of them. We’re sitting here in 2024 and we’re looking at a guy — a candidate — who, quite honestly, has a lot better credentials than maybe some others who have gone before him as coaches. He was one of the guys. Extremely intelligent. And then the Super Bowls, the quarterbacks, the success and all those other things.

“I don’t know when the vote is or how that all unfolds but his candidacy, for someone like myself, it’s easy.”

Shanahan and Payton each attended college at Eastern Illinois, but Payton on Monday was quick to put their shared alma mater aside. Shanahan’s candidacy, he said, is about facts.

“It’s all there right in front of you,” Payton said. “Then go ahead and look back at the last — just take the last six coaches that have gone in. Just use that number and then throw their numbers at Mike and their accomplishments.

“I think that’s a simple way to look at it and arrive at the right decision.”

Broncos CEO and owner Greg Penner this summer also expressed his belief that Shanahan deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.

“We totally respect the process that the Hall of Fame voters have, but we think Coach Shanahan is deserving of a spot there,” Penner said when the club broke ground on its new headquarters and training facility. “When you look at the impact he’s had on the game with — I believe he’s the only coach who has two successive Super Bowls that’s not in the Hall. Then you look at his coaching tree of six former assistants that are current head coaches.

“So, it’s hard to argue with that track record.”

Though the committee is set to narrow down its list to one finalist Tuesday, it’s not clear whether the group will immediately inform the finalist selected or make any kind of immediate public announcement regarding the decision.

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Troy Renck: Bo Nix proved himself as a franchise quarterback against the Chiefs. On Sunday, he announced himself as the NFL’s best rookie quarterback. Who says no? The idea Nix could elevate above Washington’s Jayden Daniels seemed unthinkable when he was throwing interceptions against the Seahawks, struggling to grip the ball against the New York Jets and looking lost against the Chargers. Against the Falcons, he showed how far he has come, riddling Atlanta for 307 yards and four touchdowns, while completing 84.8% of his passes. No rookie has ever had a stat line quite like that. So I ask you, Sean, with six games remaining in the season, did the Broncos get the best quarterback in the 2024 class?

Sean Keeler: The heart wants to pound the accelerator. The head wants to pump the brakes. This season was always supposed to be, first and foremost, a real-time study as to what you had in Bo — how well he adapted to NFL speed, NFL chess games, etc., and how well he mind-melded with Sean Payton. Sometimes, those transfusions don’t take. Dude, this one took. In sickness and in health, it took. In fact, it’s taken so spectacularly, that I’m more shocked at Nix’s occasional rookie flubs than I am when he’s dicing defenses in the 2-minute drill. But there’s one problem with proclaiming him the best signal-caller from the Class of ’24:  His argument might’ve taken too long to really, truly get started.

Renck: When a quarterback is the sixth taken in the draft, his success rate hovers between forgettable and bust. But Payton talked arrogantly about how he would be better at the identification process than his peers. It was why I liked the pick. Payton saw the fit. Oddly, it did not look that way during the first four games as Payton asked Nix to be Drew Brees. Jayden Daniels looked way better. Caleb Williams showed more upside. And scouts still slobbered over Drake Maye’s athleticism and Michael Penix’s rocket arm. In a vacuum, I would still take Daniels over Nix. But with Payton in Denver, I prefer Nix. They complete each other. All Nix has done over the last seven games is connect on 69% of his passes at 7.4 yards per attempt with 13 touchdowns and two picks. His passer rating during this stretch: 106.3. He is not good for a rookie. He is good for anyone.

Keeler: Nix’s NFL curve reminds me of a young Labrador retriever. The legs grew before the rest of the body, so the gait was awkward at first. Now the rest of his game has caught up. I mean, yeah, the end result felt like getting stabbed with a broken bottle, but that final drive at Arrowhead was a real turning point. He did everything right, with precision, against the dynasty of the moment in one of the loudest, most insane atmospheres in football. He made Patrick Mahomes look helpless, trapped on the sidelines. Then he turned around and beat Kirk Cousins by 32. To paraphrase one of my favorite fictional coaches, Lou Brown from “Major League,” it’s startin’ to come together.

Renck: Let’s be fair. Part of the reason Daniels looks ordinary lately is because of a rib injury. He is not running as much at a time when Nix is hitting his stride. And Williams, while getting props for leadership, has not changed the clock in his head to NFL time, holding onto the ball too long and taking monster hits (this is my fear with Shedeur Sanders’ transition to the pros). Maye is a project. The Josh Allen comps are fun, but unfair. And if it was a throwing contest, Penix would win every time, but his future MRIs concern me more than his INTs. Nix has maturity, intelligence and a work ethic that has already won over the locker room. And when was the last time we saw him make the same mistake twice? Daniels is more talented, but when it comes to being on the right team with the right coach at the right time, I believe Nix will continue to show that the Broncos landed the best quarterback.

Keeler: No ’24 rookie QB has come as far, and as fast, as The Bo Show. Nix has won over Broncos Country, but let’s be real on this, too — when it comes to perception, he’s still got some work to do with some national talking heads. Daniels is playing with a legacy franchise in a legacy market on the East Coast. Nix, at his peak, still might be considered the third-best QB in his own division — not that it’s remotely his fault. That last one is going to be a hard bias for many analysts to suppress. But dang it, they should. If No. 10 is the one who finally slays Denver’s too-long playoff drought, that’s one heck of a Nix fix. And an even better closing argument.

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Sean Payton ended his Monday conference call with a quip.

“It’s Bo Nix day, huh?” he said with a dash of (perhaps forced) incredulity after nearly every question centered on his rookie quarterback.

Sunday certainly was.

Nix turned in the best game of his career in shredding the Falcons in a 38-6 win. The Broncos scored five offensive touchdowns in a game for the first time since a 38-10 win vs. Detroit in December 2021. Players across the locker room spoke of the rookie QB like they knew he’s the franchise’s future.

Nix did plenty of impressive work in completing 28 of 33 passes, throwing four touchdowns and playing his seventh turnover-free game in his past nine.

Two throws, though, are worthy of particular note for essentially opposite reasons.

On the first, Nix corrected a mistake from last week, played with rhythm and timing and threw a laser beam up the middle of the field.

On the second, Nix got a bad look post-snap, adjusted and made an improvised big play anyway.

In-system vs. out-of-system. Orchestral vs. jazz. Bo Nix Day featured a bit of everything.

The Broncos had the ball just above the two-minute warning in the first half but a long way to go when Nix made the first throw.

Nix caught the snap out of the shotgun, took a clean five-step drop, hitched once and unleashed a rocket to Devaughn Vele down the middle of the field. Vele, operating out of the slot, adjusted his route to run cleanly past the nickel. Nix fit the ball over linebacker Nate Landman’s outstretched hand and in front of safety Justin Simmons with the precise timing necessary to beat safety Jessie Bates, who was reading Nix’s eyes and tried to drive on the ball.

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The result: A 33-yard shot that ultimately set up a Broncos touchdown with 25 seconds left in the half.

Two elements stuck out to Payton on Monday. The first is that in a similar situation — end of half, trying to get points — last week against Kansas City, Nix didn’t see a wide-open Vele over the middle and instead threw incomplete up the sideline for Lil’Jordan Humphrey. Two plays later, Denver settled for a 60-yard field goal attempt that came up short.

“We had a different route, but Vele was primary based on the coverage, and we went somewhere else with the throw,” Payton explained. “Here came a similar type play.”

A week later, Nix aced the re-test.

Nix called Vele’s route “courageous” in his willingness to traverse the middle of the field and make the catch knowing he might get hit hard.

A day later, Payton asserted, too, that Nix’s ability to see the window and pull the trigger is evidence his rookie quarterback’s assertiveness is progressing, too.

“The windows are just quicker and faster in our league,” Payton said. “They’re open for a shorter period. I think that’s one example of many, but one example where, does he make that throw Week 1 or Week 2? I don’t know, but certainly we’re all getting a chance to see growth as it plays out week by week.”

In the fourth quarter, the Broncos had a run-pass option called and Nix decided against handing it off. When he pulled up to throw, he didn’t like the look of Vele running a slant against Natrone Brooks. As he bought a little time, Courtland Sutton went into scramble drill mode and eventually broke down the field. Nix lofted a jump ball that Sutton snagged over A.J. Terrell for 23 yards.

The Broncos got away with linemen being downfield, but when it’s going your way, it’s going your way.

Playing in rhythm takes a long time to get comfortable with and years to master. Knowing how to effectively find answers once a play breaks down is its own kind of quarterback art.

“It’s always adjusting on the fly and reacting to what you see,” Nix said Sunday. “You can study all you want, but I can’t go out there and predict what plays they’re going to run or what calls they’re going to be in. At that point, you’re just reading and reacting.”

The quarterbacks who can find answers in multiple ways are the ones who become exceedingly valuable.

Payton implored Monday, “Let’s not send this kid to Canton just yet, please” and noted that there will be more adversity ahead.

But Sunday’s look at what Nix can be both within the design of plays and when coloring outside the lines is sure to generate excitement.

One small thing I liked: The Broncos haven’t been a good wide receiver screen team in recent years, but they scored two touchdowns on the concept Sunday.

What’s more, Denver ran essentially the same play on both but dressed them up very differently.

On the first, the Broncos had three receivers, tight end Lucas Krull and running back Javonte Williams. Marvin Mims Jr. motioned toward the ball and then took a quick throw from Nix. He had Vele blocking on his side and the right side of the offensive line — Quinn Meinerz and Mike McGlinchey — getting out in front.

The second touchdown also went to the right side, but Nix was out of the pistol with Williams behind and fullback Mike Burton next to him. This time Nix got the ball to Franklin, who then had Burton, Sutton, McGlinchey and Meinerz out front.

“Ironically, we’ve struggled with receiver screens here of late,” Payton said Monday. “To hit two of them for touchdowns, I’m not going to say we were giddy, but it was like, ‘Finally.’”

One small thing I didn’t like: Nix didn’t put the ball in harm’s way often, but he did sling an off-target receiver screen out to his left for Vele midway through the third quarter. Nix left the ball in a bad spot — in front of Vele — and was fortune the crashing Brooks didn’t come away with an interception. OK, Sean, he’s not headed for Canton just yet.

One trend to watch: The Broncos all year have used pre-snap motion less than anybody else in the NFL. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, it’s a lot less.

Sunday, though, Denver used pre-snap motion on 38 of 60 snaps or 63.3%, easily a season high.

Funny enough, 63.3% would only rank No. 15 league-wide as a season rate. But the Broncos’ usage has been on an upward trajectory. Their three highest motion rates of the season have come the past three weeks. More broadly, Denver averaged 32.6% the first six weeks and has been at 44.1% the past five.

Still, Denver’s overall season rate of 38% is last in the NFL by a wide margin, per NGS data. Miami leads the NFL at 82% and the top four spots — L.A. Rams, San Francisco and Green Bay — are occupied by Shanahan-esque offenses. Washington is No. 31 at 48.8% and, interestingly, all four teams playing a rookie quarterback are ranked No. 20 or lower.

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Here’s a look at whose stock improved or declined after the Broncos’ 38-6 win over the Falcons on Sunday.

Stock Up

WR Marvin Mims Jr.: Denver’s second-year wideout only played 14 offensive snaps but he made them count. Mims had two catches for 49 yards and recorded his first touchdown of the season. The Broncos had Mims lined up in the backfield quite a bit for the second straight week, and even though he only had four yards on three carries, he was deceptive. In the third quarter, Mims lined up next to Nix in a shotgun formation, and took advantage of busted coverage, securing a 37-yard reception on a wheel route. Sean Payton is starting to get creative with his use of Mims, and it’s working.

DT Malcolm Roach: The former Saints defensive tackle has proven to be a solid offseason addition for the Broncos. In the second quarter, Roach easily beat Falcons left guard Matthew Bergeron before sacking Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins. Roach had three tackles and a run stuff in Denver’s sixth win and has three tackles for loss combined in the team’s last three games.

OLB Nik Bonitto: Denver’s third-year edge rusher is making a strong case for his first Pro Bowl selection. Bonitto recorded seven tackles and two sacks against the Falcons. His season sack total now sits at nine, tied for second-most in the league with Giants star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. The Broncos haven’t had a player record double-digit sacks in a season since 2018. Bonitto is on the verge of ending that drought.

Guard Quinn Meinerz: Meinerz highlighted a strong day for Denver’s offensive line. The starting right guard allowed one pressure on 35 pass block snaps, according to NFL’s Next Gen Stats. He showcased his immense strength during Troy Franklin’s touchdown reception in the third quarter. Meinerz held off inside linebacker Nate Landman before knocking down safety Jessie Bates III while Denver’s rookie wide receiver crossed the goal line.

Broncos’ postseason chances: At 6-5, the Broncos are in the thick of the playoff race. They are the seventh seed and have a 65% chance of making the postseason, according to Next Gen Stats’ Playoff Probability model. Denver will have a chance to increase its odds in the next three weeks. The Broncos play at the Raiders (2-8) before taking on the Browns (2-8) and the Colts (5-6) at home. There’s still plenty of football to be played, but Denver is trending up.

Stock Down

CB Ja’Quan McMillian: Denver’s nickel cornerback has been up and down in recent weeks. McMillian has given up 13 catches for 145 yards and two touchdowns on 17 targets. Against the Falcons, McMillian was targeted eight times, allowing six catches for 65 yards — the most he has given up this season. McMillian gave up a 26-yard reception to wide receiver Drake London in the second quarter.

OLB Jonathon Cooper: The starting edge rusher didn’t record a pressure on 24 pass rush snaps, according to Next Gen Stats. That was the first time Cooper didn’t record a pressure in a game all season, and he hasn’t recorded a sack in two of the last three games. Better days are likely ahead, but Cooper is in a bit of a slump.

RB Audric Estime: Denver’s rookie running back took a step back on Sunday. After recording 51 yards on the ground last week in Kansas City, he had six carries for 16 yards and averaged 2.7 yards per attempt in the win. Meanwhile, Javonte Williams stole the show, totaling 57 yards and a touchdown on nine attempts.

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