By Aric DiLalla – DenverBroncos.com
DENVER — On a night of great throws, it may have been his best.
As Bo Nix took a fourth-and-3 shotgun snap with just over nine minutes to play, the Broncos clung to a one-point lead at the Green Bay 41-yard line.
They needed three critical yards to put themselves in position to continue their drive and potentially extend their lead.
Nix got them 26.
In a critical moment of a game between two championship contenders, the second-year quarterback hung in the pocket, lofted a pass downfield to Courtland Sutton and put the Broncos on the brink of clinching a playoff berth.
Four plays after Sutton hauled in the 26-yard completion at the Green Bay 15-yard line, RJ Harvey powered into the end zone to give Denver an eight-point lead it would not relinquish.
“He was having him a day out there,” wide receiver Courtland Sutton said after the 34-26 win.
As Sutton indicated, Nix’s fourth-down pass was far from his only big moments. Nix threw for 302 yards and posted the fourth game of his career with at least four passing touchdowns. All four touchdowns went to different players, and Nix delivered impressive second-half strikes to Sutton and Troy Franklin.
Only Patrick Mahomes and Hall of Famer Dan Marino have more such games in their first two seasons, and Peyton Manning and John Elway are the only Broncos with more such games in their careers.
“It was one of those days, and he delivered hugely for us today,” tackle Mike McGlinchey said. “Bo, he’s a gamer, man. He rises to every occasion. He doesn’t back down from a challenge and plays his best in the biggest moments. That’s the guy you want leading the football team.”
Nix led the Broncos on three consecutive touchdown drives in the second half, and he keyed one of them with spectacular throws on the run. On the first play, Nix escaped pressure to his right before spinning back to his left and finding Lil’Jordan Humphrey on the run. On the next play, Nix again delivered on the move as he floated a pass just past a defender’s helmet to set Franklin up for an 18-yard gain. Later on that drive, he found Sutton in the back right corner of the end zone to earn a score that would cut the Packers’ lead to two.
“This is probably one of the best games of his career,” tight end Adam Trautman said. “… He was unbelievable tonight.”
Both quarterbacks made their share of impressive plays, as Nix and Love each had passer ratings of over 120 at halftime. In the second half, though, Nix separated himself. Nix was 8-of-13 for 125 yards, two touchdowns and a 133.0 passer rating in the third quarter, and he added another three completions for 51 yards — including the fourth-down conversion — on Denver’s final scoring drive.
Against Green Bay’s sixth-ranked scoring defense, Nix also did not turn the ball over and was not sacked. Denver’s defense, meanwhile, flustered Love in the second half, as the unit recorded a pair of interceptions and sacked him three times.
In the aftermath of perhaps his finest performance as a pro, Nix deflected the praise.
“The guys around me do the same,” said Nix when asked about playing his best in the biggest moments.
Nix’s teammates, though, knew what they witnessed on Sunday.
“I don’t think anybody was stopping No. 10 today,” McGlinchey said.
