When teams win in the NFL, the quarterback gets a good portion of the credit. When they lose, they take a good portion of the heat. Right or wrong, that's the way the game has always been.
Following their most recent loss, the Denver Broncos still have a major problem at quarterback, according to some in the media and many fans within Broncos Country. In their 24-14 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Bo Nix completed 25 of 42 passes for 214 yards with one touchdown.
While the Broncos may not have lost because of Nix, he certainly didn't lead his team to a win, and he is facing major scrutiny following this performance.
The way Bo Nix played cost the Broncos a win over the 49ers! | @bstokley14 and @JVtakes with @markschlereth pic.twitter.com/DiP2LPIVPz
— Denver Sports 104.3 (@DenSports1043) October 6, 2026
Meanwhile, others are still firmly behind him.
If you want off the Bo Nix bandwagon... JUMP! | @JoshuaDover and @CecilLammey pic.twitter.com/YaG0gTaNCu
— Denver Sports 104.3 (@DenSports1043) October 5, 2026
Meanwhile, Colin Cowherd, host of The Herd on FS1, who regularly goes back and forth on Nix and the Broncos in general, had this to say on his show:
"Everything with Bo Nix looks hard. He's not throwing the ball down the field... It looks so EASY for Brock Purdy."@colincowherd breaks down why Nix & Purdy are on different levels pic.twitter.com/4D0J2ekbey
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) October 5, 2026
"I liked Bo Nix out of Oregon because he had 61 college starts, Sean Payton liked him too, there was a little Drew Brees," said Cowherd on The Herd. "But when RJ Harvey is your top receiver against the Niners, it's a problem".
After discussing why he has changed his mind on Nix, Cowherd went on to say this:
"Everything with Bo Nix looks hard. He is averaging fewer air yards per attempt in the NFL this year, 5.4 yards, that's the lowest since the stat's been tracked. What does that tell you? He's not throwing the ball down the field. Marvin Mims, has he disappeared? This is dink and dunk and behind the line of scrimmage."
Cowherd then discussed how much easier everything looks and feels for a guy like Brock Purdy while placing much of the blame for the Broncos' offensive ineptitude at the feet of Nix.
"Everything for Bo Nix is underneath. Anything downfield looks so incredibly hard, and he is such an ineffective quarterback in the first half, it puts you in a hole," said Cowherd.
It seems Cowherd shares many of the same frustrations watching Nix operate within this Denver offense as many of the fans inside Broncos Country did on Sunday. Perhaps more criticism needs to be on the starting quarterback for his performance and not as much on the first-year offensive coordinator for calling the plays.
Either way, the Broncos need to figure out how to get Nix into more of a groove before the season takes a turn for the worse.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Colin Cowherd reacts to Broncos’ ‘dink-and-dunk’ offense with Bo Nix
