It's no secret to start the season that Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix has been in a bit of a slump. Nix has started the season 97-of-162 (59.9 percent completion percentage, the worst of Nix's young career thus far), for 942 yards with six passing touchdowns against three interceptions and five fumbles (the most of his career).
Nix's troubles have permeated into the heart of the offense, which has struggled mightily in the first half of games, and made it so the Broncos have to come back in the second half of nearly every game. Coach Sean Payton addressed Nix's early struggles after Denver's 23-17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday afternoon.
"I would say this. I think the one area, I think obviously there's a lot been said about
his feet, I think he's settling that down," Payton said in his postgame presser. "I think it's important from a protection standpoint, that early in games we provide that clean pocket so that clock doesn't get juiced up a little bit. I don't know what his dropback percentage was, but I think it was a little less tonight. When we needed it down the stretch, there were some plays to be had. We got blitz on [Courtland] Sutton's touchdown. We were hoping to get certain coverage, but it was good because he's got a free rusher there. I think after four weeks there's a handful of things that collectively — and you know, it starts with me — where it's like, all right, let's focus on these details. And I think the byproduct helps the [quarterback]. Obviously the hardest thing to do in this league is play that position if you're not rushing the ball.”
Denver has certainly struggled in the rushing department, and is yet to produce a 100-yard rusher in 2026, as was the case for most of 2025. Denver only totaled 106 total rushing yards on Sunday, with running back J.K. Dobbins putting up a team-high 68 yards.
Despite Nix's struggles, Payton still sees him as the guy to lead Denver to success. Payton delivered a message to Nix over the podium, hopefully igniting a spark in the third-year quarterback.
"I think as coaches, like I said to him ‘Man, you’re the guy we want here,'" Payton said. "'Let’s go. You’ve done a ton of things well.' But I think there’s a lot that goes into that. In that old TBS series 'The Bear,’ where they say, 'Just let it rip.' I want him to make sure that we can let it rip.”
“You’re the guy we wanted here… let’s go.”
— Guerilla Sports (@guerillasports) October 12, 2026
Sean Payton speaks on his confidence in Bo and the @broncos offense. #broncoscountry pic.twitter.com/PtTU17fj57
After turning in only a 123-yard performance against the Chargers, Nix will look to "let it rip" against a Seattle Seahawks defense on a short week, which allowed a season-high 32 points to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
Now, this isn't the only time a Broncos quarterback has been told to let it rip. During the Tim Tebow-led 2011 season, and ahead of the legendary playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Hall of Fame quarterback and then-Broncos executive John Elway urged Tebow to "pull the trigger" in the playoffs, as KUSA-TV's Mike Klis reminded fans this week. Tebow responded with the performance of his career, throwing for 311 yards and a game-winning touchdown in overtime to Demaryius Thomas.
4 days after “Pull the trigger” Tebow threw for 311 with 80-yard OT walk off to Demaryius.
— MikeKlis9NEWS (@mikeklis9news) October 12, 2026
4 days after “let it rip” Nix will take on Seahawks on Thursday night. https://t.co/xJE89qn2zr
"When you get into these playoff situations, he's a good enough athlete … to pull the trigger," Elway said at the time.
One could argue this game is another playoff-type environment where an athlete like Nix could look to turn things around.
If it's at all comforting, Nix has started slow before in his two previous years, and turned it up as the season progressed. After a tough start, Nix and the Broncos are looking to get back on track to their winning ways in the coming weeks of the season.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Broncos need quarterback Bo Nix to ‘let it rip’ vs. Seahawks
