Bo Nix had a solid preseason debut on Sunday.
The No. 12 overall pick of this year’s draft, Nix came in for the Broncos’ third possession and ended up playing into the third quarter — leading the team to three scoring drives.
While Nix’s first pass was nearly intercepted, he recovered well with a 22-yard pass on the left side to Courtland Sutton on third-and-10. Nix also connected with Josh Reynolds for an 11-yard gain during the possession.
Nix finished his second drive with a 1-yard pass to Marvin Mims for his first professional touchdown. It was a quick-hitting pass of play action that showed off Nix’s rhythm and timing.
Nix then led a two-minute drive for a field goal just before the end of the first half. And still behind center to start the third quarter, Nix led another touchdown drive — a 22-yard pass to running back Jaleel McLaughlin the highlight of the possession. Rookie running back Audric Estime’s 2-yard touchdown was Nix’s last snap of the day.
All told, Nix was 15-of-21 passing for 125 yards with a touchdown, good for a 102.3 passer rating. He also rushed three times for 17 yards.
Notably, Nix was 4-of-5 for 50 yards with a touchdown on third downs.
Jarrett Stidham, who started the contest, was 4-of-7 for 37 yards with a bad-luck interception. Samaje Perine bobbled a swing pass that Kenny Moore ended up picking off before it could fall to the ground.
There is still time for head coach Sean Payton to determine the winner of this quarterback competition. And while preseason game reps aren’t everything, Nix made a solid case for himself on Sunday afternoon.