Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix led the Denver Broncos to a 33-10 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Thursday Night Football.

The former Oregon Duck reached a major rookie milestone on an emotional night as Denver coach Sean Payton played his first game in the Superdome as an opposing head coach. Payton coached in New Orleans for 16 years and helped rebuild after Hurricane Katrina.

Nix has led the Broncos to a 4-3 record, their best record through seven games since the 2016 season. With these four wins, Nix tied the Broncos' franchise record for most wins by a rookie quarterback in a season. Former Denver quarterback Drew Lock also achieved this record in 2019. While NFL legend John Elway picked up his fourth win in Week 15 of the 1983 season. Elway's rookie season was tough, ending with a 4-7 record as a starter.

“It means a lot,” Nix said after the win in the Superdome. “You’re talking about one of the greats to ever make it in our organization. It means a lot. You are in good company. I'm not finished yet. We still have a lot to do, so I definitely don’t want to stop here.”

Nix has a chance to get his fifth win next Sunday against the Carolina Panthers and surpass both Lock and Elway.

The Saints also drafted a rookie quarterback in Spencer Rattler, whom New Orleans selected with the 150th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Although this game as a whole was marked by rookie mistakes from both quarterbacks, the Broncos slowly dismantled a disjointed and injury-riddled Saints team and cruised to a very comfortable 33-10 victory. This win is a positive sign for Denver after a heartbreaking loss to the Chargers the previous week that snapped a three-game winning streak.

Against the Saints, Nix got off to a slow start in the Broncos' first offensive attack. After picking up two first downs for Denver, Nix threw three incompletions. Two of those incompletions were an overthrow (to tight end Lucas Krull) and an underthrow (to former Duck wide receiver Troy Franklin) by Nix, with two wide open receivers failing to catch his passes.

After that drive, Denver began relying more on Nix's legs and short passes rather than long downfield scoring. The next two offensive drives for Denver ended in field goals. Javonte Williams scored Denver's first touchdown on the Broncos' first drive of the second quarter. When the Broncos went into halftime with another field goal, they defeated the Saints 16-0.

During the final drive of the half, Nix did attempt a few deep balls that missed, but for the most part Nix stuck to a formula of pass-offs for rushing attempts, quarterback keepers and short passes. Nix completed 13 of 21 passes for 134 yards in the half, and his biggest asset is his mobility in the running game. Nix had no turnovers and no sacks that went into the locker room.

Also a quick shout out to Denver Bronco and his former Duck colleague Alex Forsyth. The former star center and leader of the Ducks from 2017 to 2022 worked his way up to the Broncos' starting center position. During the game against the Saints, Forsyth shined by giving Nix more space in the pocket and opening up more rushing opportunities for the Broncos. The Broncos averaged 6.4 yards per carry against the Saints. Forsyth also plays a key role in Nix not seeing room for a sack in this game.

After halftime, the Broncos scored another field goal and a touchdown in the third quarter before going scoreless in the fourth quarter. With just under seven minutes left in the third quarter and a third down, Nix kept the ball for a 33-yard run for a first down, which was essential to sustaining the Broncos' drive and was one of his best plays of the game. The show's analysts compared Nix to Taysom Hill after the play. That run ended with the only touchdown the Broncos scored in the second half.

Overall, Nix finished 16-26 (61.5%) for 164 yards passing. He managed ten rushing attempts for 75 yards. He finished the game with zero interceptions and no sacks, thanks to his offensive line and his athleticism getting out of the pocket for rushing attempts.

Despite struggling with growing pains among the rookies, Nix is ​​helping lead the Broncos to a 4-3 record alongside coach Sean Payton, potentially paving the Broncos' path to the playoffs down the line. As long as Nix stays healthy and doesn't get too flustered in the ground game, it should be interesting to see how this former Duck develops as the Broncos' first rookie captain in over 50 years.

The Broncos face the Carolina Panthers at home next Sunday, October 27th at 1:25 PM PST.