ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — A day after Bo Nix posted the best passer rating of his young career, Broncos Head Coach Sean Payton said the rookie quarterback showed "good command" in Denver's win over the Raiders.
"He played well," Payton said of Nix. "He used his feet, went through his progressions, threw the ball well, got it down the field, took the underneath throws. He handled the two-minute [drill] again. That's happened a number of times now, where we've been able to get some points at the end of the half. He had good command of what we were doing, and I was pleased."
Nix, who became the first rookie quarterback in franchise history to win three consecutive games, set career bests in passer rating (117.2), completion percentage (70.4%), passing touchdowns (2) and total touchdowns (3) as the Broncos earned a 34-18 victory.
Payton said as the weeks have progressed, Nix is "understanding the game better and better" — particularly in regard to a defense's personnel groupings and how to adjust protections.
Nix has also shown an ability to make critical plays on the ground, both by avoiding sacks and picking up yardage on scrambles.
"I think he's playing with confidence, and every week his feet make some plays for us that are important," Payton said. "… He's hard to sack. When he plays, you're not on the cusp of a minus play. He has real good command of what he's doing. I've said this before and I'll say it again: We have to keep painting a better picture around him."
In addition to the on-field attributes Nix has demonstrated through his first five games, Payton said he also appreciates Nix's passion for the game. Nix's "fiery" personality was on display in the second half of Sunday's win, and he turned the emotion into two consecutive touchdown drives.
"We're in the business of passion," Payton said. "We're looking for passion, and we're looking for people who have passion for the game — not other things. I think that it's so important to him."
SUCCESS IN THE RED ZONE
A notable area where the Broncos' offense thrived on Sunday was inside the 20-yard line, as Denver scored touchdowns on its first three red-zone opportunities. And while the stat sheet officially shows a 3-of-4 performance, Payton noted the Broncos will track a 3-for-3 day, as the fourth attempt was simply a series of kneeldowns.
Over the last three games, the Broncos have scored touchdowns on six of nine possessions, including the kneeldown series. Excluding that kneeldownsequence, the Broncos have scored touchdowns on six of their last eight red-zone trips. That 80-percent mark would be tied for third in the league over the last three games.
"We still have to improve on our third-down numbers," Payton said. "I was pleased that we took advantage of the turnovers and the field position. Again,it's an area that we're spending a lot of time on, and we have to continue to do that in the third down."
MOSSED 'EM
While Pat Surtain II's pick six was the highlight of Sunday's game, Riley Moss' play was similarly impressive.
Moss recorded a pair of pass breakups, including a well-timed swat of a deep pass intended for Tre Tucker with the Broncos leading by three points in the third quarter.
On Las Vegas' next possession, Moss tracked the ball and intercepted Gardner Minshew as he again looked for Tucker. The play represented Moss' first career interception.
Asked Monday about if the Broncos are surprised by Moss' performances after trading up to draft him in 2022, Payton said despite a thorough evaluation, it's never a sure thing when drafting a player.
"One of the tough things sometimes when drafting a player out of college is you see him in maybe a couple of schemes," Payton said. "Riley, they played a lot of quarters [defensive coverages] at Iowa, and they played it well. They're well coached on defense. Then they'd mix in some other coverages. So then you're projecting, 'When they get to this level, how will they be in man, how will they be in these other coverages?' I would say this training camp, we saw it all camp. So it wasn't really a surprise. His ability to stay in phase man-to-man. Then he has really good speed and really good length. Then factor that in with makeup, and [he] competes.
"To answer your question, you never quite know. In other words, you don't know how that's going to translate into other coverages at our level. Fortunately for us, it's translated very well."
