It’s time for Sean Payton to finally turn Bo Nix loose

The Denver Broncos have not yet punched their ticket to the playoffs. It was an entertaining game on Saturday against the Cincinnati Bengals, but the Broncos came up short in overtime.

I like when this team plays good football. However, this team has yet to play a complete game all season long and against playoff-caliber teams like the Bengals that won’t lead to victory.

I also like contemplating life and sports when driving around with the top down on my old Jeep Wrangler TJ! The following is a result of those trips during the week.

Buckle up, let’s take a ride through my thoughts.

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Let Bo Nix Throw Deep

Broncos QB Bo Nix has been stereotyped by some as a “dink and dunk” quarterback. I heard it in the pre-draft process, and I’ve heard it from some misinformed fans/media during this entire regular season. The film and the advanced data show something much different.

After a rough start over the first couple of weeks of his rookie year, Nix has been a quality deep-ball passer. I consider passes over 15 yards, some consider passes over 10 yards, but let’s just say when it’s time to move the chains it’s time to let Nix hit a deep shot. Before the draft, some said Nix had a weak arm. Personally, scouting him at the Senior Bowl, my report said Nix had a strong enough arm to make all the throws in the NFL. With proper footwork, Nix can let it fly.

Against the Bengals, Nix threw the longest pass of the year in the NFL to Marvin Mims for a 51-yard touchdown. The ball traveled 67 yards in the air, and it was in a spot where only Mims could catch it. That play showed the timing, touch and arm strength (look at his footwork too!) that Nix can throw with.

Now, head coach Sean Payton just needs to call more deep shots. They don’t all have to be 50-yard bombs, but some 25-yard-deep outs would work – and Nix could hit them. I felt against the Bengals, Payton had Nix throwing too many check downs.

Bo Nix broke the passing chart lmao pic.twitter.com/ucrAaDrrVr

— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) December 29, 2024

It’s all on Payton to trust Nix more as a downfield passer. The short-to-intermediate stuff is great, but it’s clear Nix can throw more passes 10-plus yards downfield with success.

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Rusty Riley Moss

Riley Moss is a good player who had a bad day against the Bengals. In his first game back from a knee injury, Moss looked rusty on the field and the Bengals took advantage. He was targeted repeatedly by Bengals QB Joe Burrow, and Moss was burned almost every time.

The Broncos defense has been giving up big plays in the month of December, but I thought the return of Moss opposite of All-Pro Pat Surtain would curb those type of plays. That didn’t happen, and while Surtain played great (of course), his teammate struggled in a way that I wasn’t expecting.

Moss is a smart player, but he will take chances to make plays on the ball. Against Tee Higgins (mostly), I thought Moss was a bit hesitant at times. I’m not sure if that’s a lack of trust in his knee, but the results of his coverage helped cost this team the game in overtime.

Higgins roasted Moss, and that’s the type of game that could crush a corner’s confidence. I don’t think that happens with Moss. He missed four weeks (three games), and Moss showed the rust. Before his injury, I felt Moss was working his way into the top-12 corner conversation. That’s obviously not the case after a game like this, but regain his confidence and Moss should be able to get back on track as he continues to develop in 2025.

Riley Moss in coverage tonight:

👎 13 targets
👎 9 catches allowed
👎 107 yards allowed
👎 2 TDs allowed pic.twitter.com/ID7y6WtbYE

— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) December 29, 2024

Moss will be better now that the rust has been shaken off. Can he regain the form he had earlier this season? That’s the real question. I believe Moss can because he has a short memory and a ton of confidence. He can maintain that even after the #### sandwich he had to eat on Saturday.

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Marvin Mims is Marvelous

Marvin Mims entered his second season with the Broncos as almost a forgotten man on offense. Yes, he was a Pro Bowl return man as a rookie, but it seemed like that’s all he was going to be in 2024. The Broncos had plenty of receivers above him on the depth chart, and two rookies (Troy Franklin, Devaughn Vele) were getting hype in training camp.

During the summer, the most reports about Mims were about him yelling in practice at passing game coordinator John Morton. Mims showed frustration in camp, likely with his lack of opportunity. It’s something I asked Mims about on the record, but he always took the high road and talked about how he was going to wait for his chance and keep helping his team in any way he can.

Then, Payton made him the “joker” on offense.

Mims is not your traditional joker because that’s usually reserved for a running back or a tight end. Well, Mims is a great runner and has a ton of speed so Payton decided to line him up in the backfield at times on toss plays and handoffs. Payton then started using Mims more on deep routes that created field-flipping plays for his offense. Mims is not yet a refined route runner, but his speed makes him a blur on the field. He’s tough to cover when going deep as we saw on his 51-yard touchdown grab.

However, I think his score to tie the game at 24 and force overtime (they should have gone for two) was the better catch. Mims is a smaller receiver, but if there’s one thing he is it’s feisty (see earlier about yelling at his coach). The “my ball” mentality Mims showed on that second touchdown was incredible. He went up and ripped the ball away with two defenders swirling around him as he fell to the Earth with the ball in his hands. It was a great play, and it shows how Mims will fight to do whatever he can to help his team – just like he told me!

MARVIN MIMS JR. WITH THE GAME-TYING TOUCHDOWN OVER TWO DEFENDERS 😱

ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS 🔥 (via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/lkyJ0BzcwB

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 29, 2024

I’m really happy for Mims. He’s worked hard to earn these opportunities, and he’s making big plays for his team on what seems like a weekly basis.

Follow @CecilLammey