ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Broncos' faith in their quarterback never wavered.
Even on a challenging afternoon during which Bo Nix threw three interceptions for the first time in his career, there was little doubt he would find a way to respond.
The rookie did just that in a 31-13 win over the Colts, as he bounced back from throwing those three picks — including two with the Broncos trailing in the third quarter — to toss a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns.
"That's just who he is," tackle Mike McGlinchey said. "He's so tough. He's so smart [and] put [together]. He's everything you want. Him in that moment, he didn't even blink. He just kept going [and] kept at it — and it's a team football game. Our team rallied around us today, and he stepped up when he needed to step up and threw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter that allowed us to win the game. It doesn't matter what happens when you still have a chance to win, and he knows that and he works through that every day. I can't say enough good things about No. 10."
Through three quarters, though, Nix had completed 16-of 26 attempts for 84 yards, a touchdown, three interceptions and a 40.1 passer rating. For a quarterback, that kind of start can admittedly be challenging.
"It gets to where you feel like, 'Every time I throw it, is it going to be picked?'" Nix said after the game. "You start having those mental thoughts, but it's challenging. It's probably the toughest part of our position, because you know what you're capable of. You know the read. You know your footwork, how to go through it. Then you just have to keep from being gun-shy. Don't let one turn into another false vision and just see things that aren't actually there. I felt like I saw the game well today, but that didn't keep me from not turning the ball over. So what is it? I have to get back to the sideline and regroup. I feel like the guys over there do a great job of keeping me encouraged and reminding me that it's a long game. 'Go out there and do what you do.' I'm not going to lie — it's tough. You start getting a little bit in your head and you start questioning, 'Am I actually seeing it? What was that?' So it's tough, but I feel like everybody goes through it. The ones that can get out of it and finish the game and win and not let it dictate the outcome of the game, that's usually when you find some maturity and you find some growth."
Nix was able to find his way forward, as he threw a 15-yard go-ahead touchdown with 13:51 to play to notch the third fourth-quarter comeback of his young career. The Oregon product later tossed a 20-yard touchdown to Courtland Sutton and finished 4-of-7 for 46 yards, two touchdowns and a 116.7 passer rating in the fourth quarter.
"Unfortunately, it's not the first time I've thrown three interceptions in a game," Nix said. "Hopefully it's the last, but probably football will tell you it's not going to be if you play it long enough. You just have to move on to the next play and get the next completion."
While Nix battled a few internal questions, his teammates' faith in the 12th-overall pick was never broken.
"We all have the utmost confidence and faith in Bo, and it's not going to waver because of a couple balls that didn't go the way we wanted them to go," Sutton said. "He's a great quarterback, a great leader [and] a great man in this locker room — and it's not going to change because a couple of throws."
And while Nix may not have posted his finest stat line of the season in Sunday's performance, he also may have proved something to his teammates in the locker room. Even after a series of struggles that may have impacted other young — or even more experienced — players, Nix was able to remain resilient in response. Head Coach Sean Payton said he knows a team's level of belief in its quarterback can play a major role in a team's success, and the Broncos' faith in Nix was on display on Sunday.
"Later in that game when we needed it, he didn't flinch," Payton said Monday. "There's a maturity and a moxie about him, which I love. I think it's contagious to the team. When you have that at the quarterback position, your team knows you're in every game. When you don't have it, it's pretty difficult, because deep down in their belly they know that's not the case. That's something you notice with this year, especially, and with this team."
